AMELIA COUNTY, Va. — As rain fell at Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Amelia on Monday, flags waved to honor the more than 1.2 million men and women who died while serving their country. Each speaker, song and moment of silence marked the 29th Memorial Day ceremony the Virginia Department of Veterans Services has held there.
Surrounded by the graves of more than 9,000 soldiers, families who have lost loved ones and veterans of every branch gathered to remember the men and women who lost their lives in the line of duty.
"On this Memorial Day, maybe remember that behind every name carved into stone was a real person. Someone who loved and who was loved. Someone with dreams and family and a future," a speaker said. "Someone who gave it all so that future generations could live in freedom."
A special part of Monday's ceremony was the dedication of the chapel to U.S. Navy Fireman First Class Andrew Schmitz, who lost his life in the line of duty.
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