For Marine Corps veteran Richard “Tony” Marshall, Memorial Day is a time to pause and reflect.
Marshall, who spoke at a ceremony honoring those who paid the ultimate sacrifice at Palm Mortuary-Downtown in Las Vegas on Monday, reminded the dozens who had gathered about the simple but profound act of placing miniature flags on the graves of fallen veterans.
“Each reminds us that someone served, someone was loved, and someone gave everything for this country,” said Marshall, also the commander of American Legion Post 8 in Las Vegas. “The best way we can honor them is simple: live well, take care of each other and never take our freedom for granted.”
Marshall was among the many who attended events honoring those who lost their lives in service to their country across the Las Vegas Valley on Monday. In Boulder City, Gov. Joe Lombardo was among those at a ceremony at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
Lombardo remarked on America’s upcoming 250th anniversary, saying this year carries “an even deeper meaning.”
“For nearly two and a half centuries, generations of Americans have answered the call to defend liberty,” Lombardo said. “Here in this sacred place, surrounded by the resting places of heroes, we are reminded that freedom is never free.”
The chapel at the Boulder City cemetery was packed with veterans, active-duty service members and relatives of service members who died in the line of duty, among others.
Col. Kevin Remus of the Nevada Army National Guard said it is the people who power the U.S. military.
“As a soldier and officer who has served alongside remarkable men and women in uniform, I can tell you this: The strength of our military has never come from the latest weapons,” Remus said. “It comes from the willingness of soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen … to risk their lives to protect their brother or sister in arms.”
Bobi Oates, a retired senior master sergeant in the Air Force, gave remarks focusing on women who died during service.
“We think of Memorial Day most often about the young boys and men who have died in the defense of our great nation, but there is a group that’s often forgotten about,” Oates said. “I’m talking about young girls and the women who have also given their lives for this great nation.”
In Las Vegas, Vikki Henry, president of the Las Vegas Fraternal Order of Eagles Auxiliary, has attended the ceremony at Palm Mortuary-Downtown for the past 15 years, calling it a “tradition” rooted in her family’s military service. Her father and grandfather were both veterans who died in battle.
“I just think about them,” she said.
Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley, who attended both the Las Vegas and Boulder City events, said in Las Vegas it was important to “remember how many sacrifices have been made, so we could be here today.”
“As we commemorate the brave men and women who fight for our nation and don’t come home, we owe them this day,” Berkley said.
The city of North Las Vegas said in a news release that it will host a free Memorial Day barbecue and resource fair at 3090 E. Centennial Parkway on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“The barbecue and resource fair aims to provide resources to veterans and their families as well as support for military entrepreneurs,” the press release said.
Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com. Contact Emerson Drewes at edrewes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @EmersonDrewes on X.
