Monument officials and members of the community gathered the morning of Memorial Day to honor fallen military service members through prayer, patriotic readings and the solemn ringing of a memorial bell.

The Town of Monument held its annual Memorial Day remembrance ceremony May 25 at Monument Cemetery, where veterans organizations, town officials, first responders, Boy Scouts of America and community members gathered to honor military service members who passed serving or having served the United States through speeches, patriotic music, poetry readings and a public reading of veterans’ names accompanied by the ringing of a ceremonial bell.

Monument Mayor Mitch LaKind, serving as master of ceremonies, opened the event by reflecting on the meaning of sacrifice and remembrance across generations of American military service members. During his remarks, LaKind spoke about Revolutionary War Captain Isaac Davis, one of the first Americans killed during the opening battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, repeating Davis’ reported final words to his wife before leaving for battle; “Take good care of the children.”

LaKind connected Davis’ sacrifice to generations of Americans who later died in military service, including U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Ashley Pruitt. Pruitt was a service member killed in Iraq while supporting military operations connected to the conflict in Iran, whom LaKind referenced as a modern example of the sacrifice Memorial Day is meant to honor. He told attendees Memorial Day serves not only as a time of mourning, but as a reminder to carry forward the responsibilities and freedoms secured by those who died defending the nation.

“[Davis] knew the cost of freedom, and he was willing to pay it,” LaKind said. “From Isaac Davis to Ashley Pruitt, today we pause to remember every one of them.”

Throughout the ceremony, readers, composed of town elected officials and staff, took turns reciting the names of veterans laid to rest at Monument Cemetery while Sgt. Max Williams of the U.S. Army rang a ceremonial bell after each name.

Youth participant Kali Jensen delivered a reading of John McCrae’s World War I poem “In Flanders Fields,” which created imagery of poppies growing among soldiers’ graves and has become one of the widest used symbols of Memorial Day remembrance.

Retired Air Force Major Darby Kelly followed with reflection on and an answer to “In Flanders Fields,” describing Memorial Day ceremonies held in small towns across the country as part of a national promise to continue “carrying the torch” passed down by fallen service members. Kelly encouraged attendees to reflect on how they honor those sacrifices through civic engagement and remembrance beyond the holiday weekend, including exercising their right to vote.

The ceremony concluded with a performance of “Taps” by Nickolas Silva. Originally a military bugle call signaling “lights out” at the end of the day, “Taps” became associated with military funerals during the Civil War after it was first played at a Union soldier’s burial in 1862. It has since become one of the nation’s most recognized tributes to fallen service members.

American Legion Tri-Lakes Post 9-11 and VFW Post 7829 conducted the raising of the flags at the start of the event, while Boy Scout Troop 17 guarded the official flag colors throughout the ceremony.

Following the ceremony, attendees gathered for refreshments provided by Elizabeth’s Sweet Treats as community members, veterans and families continued conversations of remembrance beneath the cemetery’s rows of American flags.