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Memorial Day ceremony held aboard USS Kidd

7 years 9 months 2 weeks ago Monday, May 30 2016 May 30, 2016 May 30, 2016 7:07 PM May 30, 2016 in News
Source: WBRZ
By: Alicia Serrano, Michael Vinsanau

BATON ROUGE- A ceremony remembering fallen soldiers took place on Memorial Day.

The ceremony was filled with emotion, as the audience heard of stories of lost loved ones.

Joey Roberts spoke about his step-daughter who was deployed to Iraq in 2006. She died six months after.

"She was 24 years old," Roberts said. "Senior airman Elizabeth Ann Lonkey was killed in action, Jan. 7th, 2007."

A wall displayed at the ceremony contained engraved names of thousands of names of fallen soldiers. Family and friends were asked to place poppy flowers in remembrance of their loved ones. The flowers have been a sign of remembrance for nearly a century.

One U.S. Army veteran, Todd Lobell, makes sure that he is at the ceremony every year.

"I guess for the combat veteran, you actually lost friends, so it does touch you a lot deeper than everyone else," Lobell said.

Lobell said that he hopes he is leaving a lesson behind for his children.

"Teaching my kids what it means. It's not just a day off, it's remembering the ones who paid the ultimate price. They don't get ot be with their family today," Lobell said.

For many, Memorial Day is not the only day for remembrance.

"You see for me, everyday is Memorial Day," Lobell said.

The ceremony at the USS Kidd lasted about 45 minutes, but family and friends continued place poppy flowers for hours after.

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