USS Shiloh captain is Memorial Day keynote speaker

The captain of the USS Shiloh is the keynote speaker at Monday’s 11 a.m. annual Memorial Day ceremony at Shiloh National Cemetery.

Capt. Robert Johns

The time honored service on the grounds of the national cemetery in Shiloh National Military Park includes music, reflective readings, patriotic salutes, and the laying of a wreath on the grave of an unknown soldier.
“Memorial Day is a day for remembering all the people who have died while serving in our country’s armed forces,” said park Superintendent Dale Wilkerson. “This day was originally known as Decoration Day, and began after the Civil War to commemorate the soldiers who died in the war. We are honored to care for Shiloh National Cemetery, and we invite everyone to come help us remember those buried here, who have died for our freedom.”
The keynote speaker is Capt. Robert B. Johns, commander of the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh, forward-deployed to Yokosuka, Japan.
Johns is a career surface warfare officer and has served on the USS Fitzgerald, USS John Paul Jones, USS Enterprise, and the USS Nimitz. Prior to assuming command of the USS Shiloh, he served as the reactor officer on the USS Ronald Reagan.
The public is invited to meet the captain at a reception on Sunday, May 26, from 3-5 p.m, at the Shiloh Education Center, located between Hagy Lane and the main park entrance on Tenn. 22.