1400 American flags lined every path at the Fresno Memorial Gardens cemetery. The "Avenue of Flags" is a tribute to the service members buried here.
They're all American heroes and Memorial Day is the one day of the year when everyone remembers their sacrifice. The symbol of American pride surrounded this service honoring the people who proudly fought under the flag.
The ceremony paid tribute to fallen members of the military, including Valley native Sgt. Lindsey James who was killed in Iraq five years ago. "He was providing foot patrol for the election," said his mother Sandra Simmons.
The Gold Star Mom comes here every year, battling her emotions to keep the memories alive. "As a mom or a parent or having a loved one in the military, it's especially heart-wrenching," she said. "So, I always cry."
But the ceremony also honored those who survived. Juan Cedillo made it through America's largest land battle of World War II, the Battle of the Bulge. "We were grounded and we couldn't get out," he said.
Cedillo presented one of the wreaths honoring the dead -- in his case, more than 81,000 casualties. Now in his late eighties, Cedillo hopes Americans will never forget.
"I'm glad that I'm back and I'm glad we won the war and we have to keep this story going for our kids," he said.
Keeping the stories is a big concern for many veterans and their families, but they say as long as we celebrate Memorial Day, the country will remember the heroes and their sacrifices. Volunteers retired all the big flags at the cemetery Monday afternoon.
The little flags at grave sites will stay there for another week, and then all signs of Memorial Day will be gone until next year.
