Veterans honored at annual Memorial Day service at Graceland Cemetery

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Graceland Cemetery hosted its annual Memorial Day service Monday, honoring veterans that lost their lives serving the country.

"Memorial Day is not just a day of remembrance. It's also a day of gratitude," Gregory Sullivan, a U.S. Navy veteran and guest speaker, said. "We are grateful for the freedoms we enjoy, for the opportunities afforded to us, and for the sacrifices of those who have come before us."

26 veterans from Macon County who died in the Korean War were honored as part of the ceremony.

"President Truman said the buck stops here," Orval F. Mechling, a Korea War veteran, recalled. "And we stopped the communism and the people of South Korea are free today because of our efforts."

A wreath laying followed, signifying American citizen's commitment to honoring generations of fallen heroes.

"We've still got young men sacrificing their lives for the safety of our country and other countries, so honoring them. Yeah, it's a privilege."