As Old Glory wafted above in a light Memorial Day breeze, hundreds of Southern Nevadans — mostly veterans and their families — passed through the region’s most popular armed services cemetery to honor both their own service and the legacy of lost loved ones.
Nearly 500 former service members filled the chapel of the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery, which has nearly 40,000 gravesites, in Boulder City for an hourlong afternoon ceremony Monday.
“The people here today understand that freedom comes at a very high price," said Richard Small, president of the Nevada Veterans Foundation, who emceed the event. “May they be assured that the sacrifice of their loved ones contributed to a worthy cause."
The event — which featured a bagpipes rendition of “Amazing Grace" from local Scottish American Military Society Post 711 in addition to a performance by the Grand Opera Society of Las Vegas, among others, and a 21-gun salute from the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 12 — produced a range of emotional responses, from stoicism and joy to many tears of sorrow.
One veteran in Monday’s gathering was former U.S. Marine Raymond Warren, 34, an Iraq War veteran who suffered a traumatic brain injury after being struck by shrapnel from an exploding grenade. Wearing a purple shirt with matching headwear to signify receiving the Purple Heart medal, Warren lauded Saturday’s celebration for being “honorable."
“It’s just humbling to remember the brothers and sisters that I lost,” Warren said.
Steve Stevenson, 78, spent 20 years, between 1954-74, serving in the Marines, including a stint in Vietnam from 1966-70 as a platoon sergeant.
Stevenson, also clad in purple for injuries sustained from multiple gunshot wounds and shrapnel from enemy grenades, said Memorial Day is an “especially difficult day” because he saw “many close friends" die in the line of duty.
“It hurts me because so many other people died,” he said. “Sometimes I don’t know how I made it."
Outside, hundreds more Southern Nevadans paid tribute throughout the day, with American flags, flowers, wreaths and other patriotic items.
One such visitor was Christina Beland, 32, who paid respect to her late grandfather, Robert Bacon, a Korean War veteran with the U.S. Navy who died in 2015.
“We wanted to show our support, for him and all of the others that served our country,” said Beland, who with her daughter, mother and grandmother placed flowers at Bacon's gravesite.
Monday's ceremony followed a full weekend of events in Boulder City honoring veterans.
On Saturday morning, dozens of local members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, along with more than 200 volunteers, decorated the grave markers at the cemetery with American flags. Members of Boulder City's American Legion club also stopped by the Boulder City Municipal Cemetery to do the same.
On Sunday, 2,000 motorcycles roared for the Vietnam Vets — Legacy Vets' annual Flags over the Dam parade, which also featured a wreath memorial and 21-gun salute from a group of Southern Nevada Green Berets.
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