ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Memorial Day is a time to remember and honor our fallen veterans. Some folks, who organize remembrance ceremonies and who served, feel America is losing focus on the holiday’s meaning.

“Lately, it’s turned into a picnic and vacation starting day. But we just hope the people that can’t make it to the ceremony spend a couple of minutes of their day thinking about why we have Memorial Day,” said Commander David Stevens with the American Legion Duran y Gallegos Post 69.

Chaplain Pepé Mendoza agrees.

“For Memorial Day, we pay tribute to the ones that have given their lives so that we can enjoy the BBQ. We can enjoy our get-togethers with the families, because without that it would be a different country,” said Mendoza. 

American Legion Duran y Gallegos Post 69 Organized a Memorial Day event at San Carlos Cemetery Monday. They read the names of the 97 veterans buried there and the 49 buried in nearby Mount Carmel Cemetery.

Post 69 and volunteers marked each veteran’s grave with an American flag.

“’We have a good group of sons and actually get here at 6:00 in the morning, put them up and at the end of the day we’ll take them back down,” said Danny Padilla, a finance officer with the American Legion Duran y Gallegos Post 69. “It’s something that our group we deal with love and emotion and happiness, because we have many members of sons that are buried here.”

It’s a job Padilla says he’s happy to do. But Mendoza says it’s a task they need help with.

“They need help all over. And if you have time, dedicate that time for the betterment of the cemetery because those who are lying here are lying here at peace. But they also need to be recognized with a clean grave site and just a wonderful place to come and visit, and remember them, and remember their good memories of them,” said Mendoza. 

Members of Post 69 emphasized they want our community to just take a moment to think of our fallen veterans.

To learn more about American Legion Duran Y Gallegos Post 69 and how to get involved, click here.