LAUREL — Across Billings and Laurel, hundreds attended Memorial Day ceremonies to honor and remember those who served the country.
Ceremonies were held at Riverside Cemetery, Mountview Cemetery, and ended at the Yellowstone National Cemetery.
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Rykar Lewis, who has spent seven years with the U.S. Marine Corps, joined the community on this day.
“I know how important it is to honor those who have given their lives serving our nation so that we can enjoy freedom,” Lewis said Monday afternoon.
The sounds of bagpipes filled the air adding to the somber atmosphere of remembrance.
On Monday, Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Troy Downing joined the community at the Yellowstone National Cemetery to remember those who didn’t make it home.
“We remember them, remember their sacrifice, remember their stories,” Downing said.
Memorial Day is a day to reflect on the loss experienced by families in the pursuit of freedom.
“It's the most somber day of the year as we reflect on the tremendous loss and the price paid for our freedom,” Daines said.
Attendees included both retired and active-duty military personal and people of all ages.
“It's wonderful to see some younger people here at age, children here today. To see veterans, I met a 98-year-old Korean War veteran today, so we had all ages here,” Daines said.
Downing explained what it meant to him to honor those fallen heroes.
“There was something bigger than ourselves, something bigger, this great nation, freedom, liberty, faith, family, everything that this country stands for and unfortunately paid the ultimate price,” Downing said.
Flags waved besides the headstones of those who did not return home and people shared the names of their loved ones with the crowd.
