Lincoln remembers recently deceased veterans in candlelight ceremony

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The final ceremony of Memorial Day took place Monday evening at the Veterans Memorial Gardens.

It was a candlelight ceremony to honor the hundreds of veterans in Lincoln and Lancaster County who died in the last year.

Their names were read aloud for community members and veterans in attendance.

It’s also a way to remember and honor those who gave their lives for the nation.

“These veterans, we want to honor and recognize because it’s a commitment that they have made to our country,” said Diane Bartels, a member of the garden’s event committee. “And we appreciate their families and their friends, and we want their family and friends to know that we want to honor them and we respect them highly.”

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A group gathered the names of the fallen from funeral homes, obituaries and military organizations.

For the vets in attendance, the day is much more than a holiday.

“It shows reverence to the veterans,” said Ed Schnabel and Army veteran and member of the American Legion. “Like we talked about all day long, if you don’t honor the past, you’re going to live it again. This is this is our way of showing the community that we are watching out for those who have gone on before.”