Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Volunteer Mike Moehr places a flag at a veterans grave last week before Memorial Day. With the help of volunteers, the Veterans Office has been placing flags on veterans graves for the past 10 years.
Kimball native Ethan Bemis, a University of Wyoming sophomore, plays Taps during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Kimball cemetery.
On a cool and windy Memorial Day, a small crowd at Kimball Cemetery gathered near their cars to honor those "who gave it all."
The 20-minute ceremony featured the "Star Spangled Banner" sung by Jenna Greenwood and Taps, played by Ethan Bemis.
Pastor Ken Mars opened up the morning ceremony with a prayer and Mayor Keith Prunty spoke, while an honor guard stood nearby.
Prunty, reading from remarks he found online and appreciated, said, "Those who are in today's military face a world that is fraught with change and challenge. As they are thrust into the boiling cauldron of war and conflict, we must care for them and their families. We have an obligation to do so. For us to do anything less would diminish and cheapen the sacrifice of the more than one million patriots who have died in defense of our country.
"They are the reasons we as a nation are unique among all the nations of the world. Our friend and comrades, the defenders of our nation, understood the price of freedom. With courage and conviction, they did what was demanded. They answered the call."
The Veterans Office and a host of volunteers placed small United States flags on the graves of veterans. After the ceremony, the flags that were flying at half mast were raised to full mast.