Story by Tracy Record
Photos by Dave Gershgorn
For West Seattle Blog

From the small flags marking veterans’ graves, to the larger one behind the podium, the Stars and Stripes waved in the breeze that swept across Forest Lawn Cemetery during this afternoon’s brief Memorial Day ceremony.

American Legion Post 160 Commander Keith Hughes, an Army veteran, was the featured speaker, presenting what he described as a condensed version of the Legion’s annual message, reminding Americans of “true heroes.” Here’s part of what he said:

He declared that our freedom comes from those who fought for it, not from “the politicians,” and urged everyone to remember that. He concluded with the classic poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae.

Before and after his speech, Lexi Nguyen sang – the National Anthem to begin, “God Bless America” to conclude:

Emcee was Forest Lawn’s GM Greg Carlson, who offered gratitude to the 20+ people who showed up for the observance:

After just 15 minutes, the ceremony ended, while the flags atop veterans’ graves fluttered on: