LONGVIEW, Texas (KETK) — On the morning of Memorial Day, Longview community members gathered at Teague Park, Veterans Plaza to honor the holiday.

“The gratitude that we owe all of those who paid the ultimate price is tremendous for this county the values and what we have was paid for in blood, and it is always an honor to remember,” Ben Gurganus, outgoing Commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars 4002.

Gurganus gave a speech reminding people of that Memorial Day is truly about. 

“And I am so proud to be in America,” said Gurganus.

On Memorial Day, several people from the Longview community gathered at Teague Park to honor the fallen.

“It’s wonderful to see the support of our community. We had a lot of our veterans come out, but we also had a lot of families and civilians come out as well just to show their support,” Grace Henderson.

The event included an invocation, a flag retirement ceremony led by Boy Scout Troop 201, and wreath presentations to recognize several groups of people.

“My family has a history of service and we’ve lost loved ones in different wars so it’s good to take a moment to remember their sacrifice and their service,” said Grace Henderson, Operation True North.

Reminding everyone what the holiday is all about. “Is a day that we honor those that never got out of their uniforms, there are places all over the world where the united states military has fought to keep the peace,” said Gurganus.

Time is given to us to remember the brave.

“The wall here in Teague Park is a miniature version of what is in Washington D.C., there are over 5,800 names of those that died in the Vietnam conflict,” said Gurganus.

Several people walked along the Vietnam memorial wall to pay their respects.

“You get up and see the names of the ones who didn’t make it back home,” said Gurganus.

All about the love that the men and women displayed when they went to service and paid the ultimate price. “On this memorial day again we like, we ask for you to reflect on your life again and is it worthy of the sacrifice that has been made,” Lucero Harris, Sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserves.