EAST HELENA — East Helena's annual Memorial Day Parade made its way down East Main Street Monday morning, remembering and honoring those who sacrificed their lives serving the U.S. Military.
"It's a long weekend. Everyone's hoping to be able to get out and be able to do their own business but to be able to take some time out of their day to help the rest of us try and join in and remember those fallen and missing it. It's a big, important thing," said Veteran Zack Larson.
The parade featured Daughters & Sons of the American Revolution, members of East Helena's VFW, the East Helena JROTC, and the Pipes & Drums of the Black Devils, as well as among others.
The parade made its way down East Main and concluded at the Military Veterans' Memorial in Main Street Park for the ceremony.
Larson lead the memorial parade and ceremony. At the ceremony, Larson reminded folks that it was a day of remembrance, for those lost, and those who lost someone.
"Those fallen etch their memories into those that knew and loved them. So it's important to not only for me to remember them, but for those who lost someone near and dear to them to be able to help them cope and help them continue that memory of that person that they loved," said Larson.
Joseph Wagner, a Marine Veteran, and a member of the East Helena VFW, said being part of the memorial day ceremony gives him pride and allows him to remember those he lost.
"You feel pride because you get to remember all those great people that you knew, all those people that you worked with," said Wagner, "And you get to see all those people out there and they're honoring them. Every branch of service, everybody who deployed, everybody who didn't deploy. That's what it's about."
