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Houston Landing
Photo essay: Houstonians mourn fallen members of the military on Memorial Day
By Antranik Tavitian / Staff photographer,
2024-05-27
Hundreds of Houstonians gathered at Houston National Cemetery on Monday to honor fallen members of the military on Memorial Day.
“Heroes are not exceptional people. They’re just regular people that do exceptional job,” said keynote speaker Brady Bailey, who had been awarded a Silver Star, Bronze Star and a Purple Heart during his multiple tours of duty with the Marine Corps.
Sherri Cruise wept while taking in the difficulty of the day. She sat next to the headstone of her late husband, Rickey Allen Cruise.
She buried her husband just two months ago.
“We used to always come out here and remember the buddies that he fought with, that he lost,” Cruise said.
(Left photo) Sherri Cruise weeps next to the grave of her late husband, Ricky Allen Cruise, at the Houston National Cemetery on May 27, 2024. “We used to always come out here and remember the buddies that he fought with, that he lost,” she said. She buried her husband just two months ago and was struggling this Memorial Day, her first without him. (Right photo) Veterans, service members and their families honored fallen soldiers on Memorial Day during a ceremony at the Houston National Cemetery. (Bottom photo) Carolina Pérez holds her hand over her heart as she listens to the National Anthem being sung, alongside fellow Gold Star families, during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Houston National Cemetery on May 27, 2024. Ms. Pérez oldest son, Jesús Antonio Leon, was killed in Iraq in 2005. “He was very loved and it hurts for him to be gone but he is always in our hearts,” she said. (Meridith Kohut for Houston Landing) A table was set in honor of Prisoners of War and soldiers who are Missing in Action during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Houston National Cemetery on May 27, 2024. (Meridith Kohut for Houston Landing) (Left photo) Sgt. Thomas Brady Bailey, a Silver Star and Purple Heart recipient and veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and Vietnam War, delivered the keynote address during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Houston National Cemetery on May 27, 2024. (Right photo) Members of The Thin Blue Line Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club listen to the keynote speech during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Houston National Cemetery on May 27, 2024. (Bottom photo) Special Forces veterans honor fallen soldiers during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Houston National Cemetery on May 27, 2024. (Meridith Kohut for Houston Landing) Veteran Steven Holbert (right) prays with fellow members of the group Paralyzed Veterans of America during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Houston National Cemetery on May 27, 2024. “Going from an able-bodied person to a paralyzed person…everything seems impossible,” Holbert said. He met a PVA member at the VA hospital, who “twisted his arm” repeatedly to attend some of their sporting events. “I thought, well, there’s no way that I could do that,” he said. But when he finally went to a meet-up, he said he “saw other people in wheelchairs doing things I didn’t know were possible.” He joined the chapter and now pays it forward – volunteering to help other paralyzed veterans find activities, community and encouragement. (Meridith Kohut for Houston Landing) Hundreds of people attended a Memorial Day ceremony and visited the graves of fallen troops at the Houston National Cemetery on May 27, 2024. (Meridith Kohut for Houston Landing)
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