This is how veterans say you should celebrate Memorial Day

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Memorial Day brings with it food, family gatherings, and sometimes great shopping deals but it’s also a day to thank the men and women who laid down their lives for us to enjoy such freedoms.

Our local veterans said they’d be thankful if during this day, you stop and think about their lost brothers and sisters in arms.

“Memorial Day is to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Katherine Quinones a Veteran, “they never got to come home.”

Clifford Wiley, a veteran who served with the Marines says they saw beyond who they were. “They saw something more important than themselves and they were willing to give their lives for it so that we can live the way we do here.”

Quinones served in the Army National Guard for 32 years and Clifford Wiley served with the Marines for four years on active duty but says you join the Marine’s for life.

Quinones says people can remember lost service members by doing community service, putting flags on graves, or grabbing a poppy as symbol of those who died in war while serving.

“I specifically have a special memory of my cousin who was killed in Iraq when he was only 21,” she said. “So, I try to keep him and I usually carry, on Memorial day, I’ll carry a photo to remember him by.”

These veterans say enjoy your festivities — just don’t forget their sacrifices.

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