Brig. Gen. John J. Driscoll, commander of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, will be the featured speaker at Dorchester’s observation of Memorial Day on Mon., May 27. The events begin with a procession of veterans and musical units from the John P. McKeon Post on Hilltop St. around 9:30 a.m. with ceremonies at the Cedar Grove Cemetery commencing around 10 a.m., including a salute and wreath-laying at the Grand Army of the Republic burial plot.

Gen. Driscoll, at right, who was deployed to the Mideast for Operation Desert Shield/Storm in the early 1990s, was born in Boston and raised in Melrose, graduating from Pope John HS in Everett and Northeastern University.

His awards include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Army Parachutist Badge, and Ranger Tab.

Dorchester’s observations of Memorial Day at Cedar Grove Cemetery date back to the years immediately following the Civil War. The solemn ceremonies are open to the public and typically draw a large crowd to the cemetery’s main entrance at Adams Street.