ARLINGTON, Va. — Families, friends and colleagues of 37 EMS and air medical professionals who died in the line of duty will gather in Arlington, Virginia, for the 2026 National EMS Memorial Weekend of Honor.
The three-day tribute is scheduled for July 17-19 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport, the National EMS Memorial Service said in a press release.
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The National EMS Memorial Service will also hold its Moving Honors tribute, with a marked ambulance carrying this year’s Tree of Life memorial section from Redding, California, to Arlington. The 30-day procession will travel through at least 25 states before joining the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride of Honor on July 17 to open the Weekend of Honor.
The three-day event includes public and media events, along with therapy dogs and grief support resources for families and attendees:
- Friday, July 17: Wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery.
- Friday, July 17 - Arrival of the National EMS Memorial Ride of Honor and Moving Honors Procession, Hyatt Regency Crystal City
- Saturday, July 18 - National EMS Memorial Service, Hyatt Regency Crystal City
“The families who come to Arlington each year for the Weekend of Honor have already given more than most of us can imagine,” National EMS Memorial Service President Scott Davis said. “Our duty is to make sure they know their loved ones’ sacrifice meant something, not just to their crew and the communities they served, but to every person in this country who has ever called 911 for a medical emergency. The names of these 37 heroes will always be remembered. As long as we gather, as long as we ride, as long as we serve, and as long as we say their names - their memories will live on.”
