Ceremony Honors Fallen Heroes At Memorial Park Cemetery

People gathered at Memorial Park Cemetery on Monday to honor Oklahoma's Fallen Heroes. It's the first time the American Legion has put on the ceremony since 2018.

Our nation's fallen heroes were honored in more ways than one.

Tulsa Pipes and Drums filled the air with patriotic music, and so did the Tulsa Community Band, playing the National Anthem for a crowd of people there to pay tribute to lost loved ones.

"Service members are the ones that give us the freedom, they protect others, they protect other people in other countries, and when they pass, we need a way to thank them and mourn them," said Nichole Montgomery with the American Legion.

She helped organize the ceremony along with Memorial Park Cemetery. She said after a four-year hiatus, it feels good to be back.

"We come here and we think about the losses that we've all had through generations, past, present, and future," she said.

Of all the parts of the ceremony, one of the most moving was a speech by Eric Ramos, an Army, Navy, and Marine veteran.

"Somebody that has been there on the ground, serving with other people and has seen it firsthand what casualties and what loss feels like, and he definitely feels that because he lost his wife while serving together overseas after 9/11," Montgomery said.

Ramos said for him, every day is Memorial Day.

"There are no words, there really are no words. It's an everyday thought and everyday reminder and days like today are just icing on the cake where more people kind of join in and help you carry that load," Ramos said.

On this holiday, he wants people to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

"Just know that every day when you wake up, going about your day, there's always somebody and someone who has given everything," he said.