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Ashley Hayes Reporting People from all over the state and across the country gathered to honor fallen soldiers on this Memorial Day.
In Holladay and in Sandy, throughout Utah they came.
Colonel Norman Erekson, Mormon Brigade: "The bagpipers will lead us, then we'll come and raise the flag and honor that and honor the sacred memory of these people who sacrificed their lives to build our foundation to freedom. That's what it's all about."
For service members, it's personal. Today is about losing friends.
Platoon Sgt Stewart Hicken, 25th Infantry: "Joseph Herdon is one of them. I served in Iraq with him."
Corby Campbell, Chief Warrant Officer: "It's hard to describe or explain or share really."
And for others, Memorial Day is another one that passes without their family.
Tona St. Thomas, Daughter of WW II Vet: "And my dad, his name was Ray Lewis and he was in the military in World War II."
Whether folks actually come out to participate in a ceremony, or quietly reflect and decorate a loved one's grave, they share the same sentiments at each ceremony.
Jim Matheson, (D) Utah Congressman: "We gather to pay tribute to courage and sacrifice. We extend our condolences to the family and friends who grieve. We pray for those who have passed on."
Reading names of fallen soldiers
Major General Peter Cook, 96th Regiment Readiness Command: "The soldiers are ours, because as civilians as a whole, we ask them to protect and support and rise to that call of duty."
Utahns celebrate and remember those who have paid so dearly for freedom.
