SALISBURY, Md. - On Memorial Day 2024, somber remembrances took place across Delmarva for those who lost their lives in service to our country.
Due to the threat of severe weather, this year's Wicomico County event, which normally happens outside the Wicomico County Youth and Civic Center, moved inside, with the sounds of prayer, bagpipes and the tolling of the bell.
Hundreds of people filled the room as speakers read the names of 191 Wicomico County residents who lost their lives in military service.
Tony Sarbanes, a retired major general in the U.S. Army, said while the commemoration honors those who lost their lives, it means a lot to veterans still with us.
"We have a lot of people who come because they served themselves or they have a relative who served or in some cases they had a relative who died in service or was killed in service. Some people come because people want to be supportive of those who served, or are serving in the military," Sarbanes said.
Leonard Addis, a retired U.S. Army captain, emphasized the importance of educating people about the true meaning of Memorial Day.
"Don't take everything for granted. There's a reason why we're here today. Because someone some place in the past paid either with their lives, or wounded in action so on. And none of this would be possible if it wasn't for them," Addis said.
Sarbanes noted that unlike other Memorial Day events, this one is specifically tailored to Wicomico County's fallen soldiers.
"We feel it's significant that every year on Memorial Day, we read those names. That's the program. You know we do some other things, music, prayers, but the significance is we never forget those 191 men who gave their lives in service to our country," he said.
Addis shared that he has lost people he knew in service to our nation. He said events like this are a comfort to people who lost loved ones.
"It feels good to, after a ceremony like this, you can see how hectic things are, just to have somebody come up and thank you for taking the time to read and honor their relative," Addis said.
A wall outside of the Civic Center has the names of Wicomico County's fallen soldiers, and can be visited year round.