On the chilly, snowy morning, a crowd of more than 50 attended the ceremony at the Park City Cemetery.
Meredith Reed was a chaplain in the Air Force and currently serves as post commander for the Park City American Legion chapter. After the Honor Guard led with a procession, she discussed the history of the holiday and those it honors.
“We remind the nation of what this day truly represents by paying tribute and remembering the lives of those lost in the US Armed Services and the sacrifices made by their families,” Reed said. “Let us resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain but to celebrate their lives in their memory, and to dedicate ourselves to serving the highest ideals of this country.
The ceremony Monday was the first one since 2019; the annual event was paused for two years due to the pandemic.
Park City Mayor Nann Worel gave the keynote address. She thanked attendees for coming out in the cold, acknowledging the veterans present and grave sites of soldiers in the Spanish-American War, World War II and the Vietnam War.
As a United States Navy nurse, Worel cared for soldiers who returned home from Vietnam. She said she remembers those soldiers and their families on Memorial Day.
“I love the visual that every year spring flowers bloom to remind us that we must never forget our responsibility as citizens to remember the nation's brave fallen men and women, whether they died on foreign lands in battle or whether they spent a lifetime in uniform of one of our armed services, as my own father did,” Worel said.
After she spoke, the Honor Guard fired three rounds in a 21-gun salute, and a trumpeter played taps. A horse and rider with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office led a riderless horse with a World War I saddle through the ceremony, commemorating fallen leaders. The Treble Makers sang the Star-Spangled Banner, among other songs throughout the ceremony.
Longtime Park City resident Judy Costello’s family has a history of military service, including her brother, husband, father, and most recently, her grandson, who just joined the Marines.
“It’s just beautiful, and I love talking to some of the military people,” Costello said. “I just love coming to this. Usually, there’s more people, but it’s a little rainy, it’s okay. And it looks beautiful with all the flowers.”
Flags were placed at graves of veterans in the cemetery. During the morning, the American flag was at half mast to honor the fallen, ahead of a flag raising at noon to honor living veterans.
