BATH N.Y. (WETM) – Veterans Affairs held their annual Memorial Day ceremony at the Bath VA National Cemetery.

Many people came out to pay tribute to our fallen heroes, view the ceremony, and enjoy the weather.

“It’s a beautiful day, and it’s an honor to be here with my fellow veterans and seeing all the families and hearing the band play the local high school band, and they did an excellent job,” said Timothy Caulfield, United States Army Veteran, He adds “it’s just an honor and a privilege, to be here with, with civilians and veterans, it’s a very unifying day, and it’s a good experience.”

Elizabeth Gobeli, Chief Chaplin for the VA Finger Lakes, said, “We all take the freedoms we enjoy every day for granted. Let us not have these lives lost in vain that we remember this and continue as a nation to be a beacon of hope.”

Dana L Lyon Middle School students have placed an American flag next to each grave. The Bath National Cemetery has over 17,000 graves. The school has kept this tradition going for over 40 years.