Hundreds salute fallen at Southern Nevada veterans cemetery, a ‘very special place’ — PHOTOS
Boulder City Mayor Joe Hardy walked around shaking hands with people before the annual Memorial Day ceremony at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
“This is a very special place,” he said to those in attendance at the event Monday.
The Nevada Department of Veteran Services held its annual Memorial Day ceremony at the Boulder City cemetery to honor those who have fallen or are missing in action. Hundreds packed into the chapel of the cemetery to pay homage and witness the events.
More than 55,000 veterans and counting have been laid to rest at the Southern Nevada cemetery.
Multiple state, county, city and federal officials were present during the ceremony, including Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, Treasurer Zach Conine, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Rep. Susie Lee and Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley.
The ceremony began with an invocation from Chaplain Dwight Webster, the presentation of colors, Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of the national anthem.
“We do not come here to glorify war, but to glorify sacrifice,” Webster said during his invocation. “May this sacred ground remind us not just of death, but the values these heroes died defending: justice, liberty and unity.”
‘For those who did not come home’
During the tearful ceremony, Vince Palmieri, commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 711, recited a Missing Man Table Narration to honor the more than 80,000 Americans still listed as missing in action, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Multiple objects were placed on a table, each representing the “emotions and feelings reserved for those who did not come home.”
The table was round to represent everlasting concern; a white tablecloth symbolized purity of motives; a singular red rose reminded of the lives of these Americans, their loved ones and friends who keep faith; a red ribbon for continued determination; a lemon slice for their bitter fate; a pinch of salt for tears; a lit candle reflecting hope; a Bible for their strength gained through faith; an inverted glass for their inability to toast; and an empty chair.
“The ceremony symbolizes that they are with us here in spirit,” Palmieri said. “All Americans should never forget the brave men and women who answered our country’s national call to serve, and fought for our freedom with honor.”
Afterward, the Desert Pines Marine Corps JROTC performed a ceremonial flag folding, in which the American flag is folded 13 times, each fold representative of a specific meaning, creating the shape of a cocked hat.
To honor the fallen, ‘live the best life you can’
U.S. Army Vietnam veteran Richard Moyer spoke during the ceremony about World War II and shared numbers with the audience.
Moyer said, “1.2 million Americans since 1775 have given their all. If you want to honor 55,000 people that are outside here (at the cemetery) and worldwide, you live the best life you can.”
Additionally, UNLV Vets and Truckee Meadows Community College presented the participants of the fifth annual Operation Battle Born, Ruck to Remember. The Ruck to Remember is a 60-mile trek from Amargosa Valley to the city limits of Las Vegas, where participants and veterans — including 59 Nevadans — carry four rucksacks with 7,000 service dog tags to honor those whose lives were lost during the global war on terror.
The ceremony ended with a 21-gun salute and a performance of “Taps.” To cap the day, the Boulder City Veterans Pilot Group performed a flyover of the chapel courtyard.
This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley’s last name.
Contact Emerson Drewes at edrewes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @EmersonDrewes on X.
