“As a Freedom Festival, we’re so thrilled that the community comes out to honor our veterans and the families of veterans,” he said.Įvery Memorial Day, Evans specifically remembers his mother, who passed away from cancer 29 years ago. Jim Evans, executive director of Freedom Festival, said this Memorial Day service is held each year because it supports the festival’s mission of God, family, freedom and country. Almost the entire crowd stood at one point and tears turned to smiles as attendees remembered and honored their loved ones.

Veterans, active duty military and family members of those in service were invited to stand when the music for their branch was played. Tears filled the crowd as the band played a military medley to represent each branch of the armed forces. The Provo City Veterans Council and the Freedom Festival work together each year to hold a Memorial Day service in Provo to give others the opportunity to honor active duty military, veterans and those lost while serving.īefore the ceremony began, families placed flowers, flags and pinwheels on the graves of loved ones while children waved small American flags to music played by the Timpview High School band.

On Monday morning, Gunn, chair of the Provo City Veterans Council, joined children, parents, grandparents and veterans as they gathered at the Provo City Cemetery to remember lost loved ones, listen to speeches of hope, participate in patriotic music and witness a 21-gun salute for the fallen men and women in the armed forces. My best friend got killed in Vietnam you never get over it.” Memorial Day, for Gunn, is a day to “think about the guys who didn’t come back,” he said. His eyes filled with tears as he remembered his best friend, Douglas Savage, who died serving in the Vietnam War. “We would’ve been lifelong friends,” said David Gunn, a retired colonel and military service missionary at Camp Williams. Youth speaker Jocelyn Osmond, winner of the Freedom Festival speech contest, speaks about a hopeful future for America during a Memorial Day service at Provo City Cemetery on Monday, May 29, 2023. The Timpview High School band plays “God Bless the U.S.A.” at the Provo City Cemetery as children wave mini American flags during a Memorial Day service Monday, May 29, 2023. Also pictured are various military rifles and combat gear from the Civil War to modern day.Īmerican flags are strapped to crosses in honor of deceased veterans for the Memorial Day service at the Provo City Cemetery on Monday, May 29, 2023. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, American flag, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard and National League of Families POW/MIA during a Memorial Day ceremony at Provo City Cemetery on Monday, May 29, 2023. National Guard veteran Neil Hargrave poses next to flags for the U.S. Alex Mitchell speaks about remembering those who sacrifice their lives to give freedom to others, during a Memorial Day ceremony at Provo City Cemetery on Monday, May 29, 2023.Īlmost every headstone in the Provo City Cemetery was decorated with flowers, flags, pinwheels or balloons for Memorial Day on Monday, May 29, 2023, to honor and remember lost loved ones.Ī 21-gun salute is performed by the Provo/Orem Metro SWAT Team in honor of all deceased veterans during a Memorial Day service at Provo City Cemetery on Monday, May 29, 2023.

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