Residents and veterans stood among grave markers at Forest Meadows Cemetery on Southeast Hawthorne Road on Monday. Silent respect hung in the air as community members spoke in honor of fallen soldiers at a city-organized Memorial Day celebration where about 200 people attended.
U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, the keynote speaker, reminded residents about the roots of Memorial Day, which was started in 1868 by Gen. John A. Logan to remember the fallen after the Civil War.
“It is that service and sacrifice that you and all veterans have given to this great nation that has made the country what we have today,” Yoho said in his speech.
Other speakers included local Army veteran Ray Davis, who wore a replica uniform and three-cornered hat inspired by a pattern worn by George Washington.
“The people out here today that we are honoring are the backbone of this nation,” Davis said. “It’s the veterans that gave us the freedom of speech. It’s the veterans that gave us the freedom of press.”
Students from the Milton Lewis Young Marines presented the colors at the ceremony and laid a wreath on a tombstone memorial.
Skylar Keller, who has participated in the program for five years, was one of them.
Keller said she enjoys interacting with members of the military, and she joined the the program to feel closer to a family member in uniform.
“My uncle was fighting in Afghanistan when I told my parents, ‘I wish I could be out there with him,’” she said.
