During a Memorial Day ceremony on Monday, May 29, Chesterfield County will include the unveiling of a replica of the iconic Tomb of the Unknown Solider and present a live re-enactment of the changing of the guard by the Chesterfield County Sheriff Honor Guard. The ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. on the Historic 1917 Courthouse Green.

The tomb unveiling ties in with the ceremony’s keynote speaker, Lt. Col. Stephan Ruppel-Lee, a highly decorated Army veteran who most recently served with the 29th Infantry Division in Kuwait. Along with his deployments and overseas operations in numerous countries, Col. Ruppel- Lee also spent 18 months as the Commander of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. He will speak to that experience during his address.

“The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is Arlington National Cemetery’s most iconic memorial,” states Arlington’s website. “The neoclassical, white marble sarcophagus stands atop a hill overlooking Washington, D.C. Since 1921, it has provided a final resting place for one of America’s unidentified World War I service members, and Unknowns from later wars were added in 1958 and 1984. The Tomb has also served as a place of mourning and a site for reflection on military service.”

Lt. Col. Ruppel-Lee has been awarded the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Department of the Army Staff Badge, Combat Infantrymen’s Badge, Expert Infantrymen’s Badge, Ranger Tab, and Airborne wings.

Ceremonial remarks also will come from Board of Supervisors Chair Kevin Carroll (Matoaca District), along with the tolling of the Historic 1917 Court- house Bell, and the presentation of wreaths.