Veteran organizations and county residents honor the fallen

Speakers reflected on the stories carried on throughout the years

On a gray, drizzly Monday morning, residents gathered at Fern Hill Cemetery to commemorate Memorial Day, honoring and remembering the dead.

Various veterans groups, such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Marine Corps League, took part in the traditional POW Remembrance and wreath-laying, in the 31st iteration of the ceremony held here in Grays Harbor.

Memorial Day is a day to tell stories, said Chris Hogstad, the guest speaker— stories of those who came before and those whom veterans traveled aside, but didn’t return.

“Those stories are important,” Hogstad said. “How far we have come, how far we have yet to go. And those who paved the way.”

Hogstad thanked veterans for their willingness to shoulder the burden of service for those yet unborn, whether they slogged through dirt, sand, mud or across the vast oceans.

“Those places, those names, those movements, those stories will continue to be told,” Hogstad said. “Whether you were chose for this, whether you volunteered for this, thank you.”

Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or michael.lockett@thedailyworld.com.

Members of the honor guard fire a rifle salute during a Memorial Day ceremony. (Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World)

Members of local veterans groups laid wreaths at the wall of those who died in military service from the area during a Memorial Day ceremony. (Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World)