PLEASANTON, Texas – Volunteers for the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Pleasanton want to remind their community that Memorial Day is a day to remember those who sacrificed their lives for our country.
The volunteers are taking a stand for 24 hours in front of the flag to make sure people remember fallen soldiers.
What exactly are they doing?
Volunteers will be standing outside Pleasanton's Freedom Center all day.
Starting at midnight, there is a volunteer standing in front of the flag every hour on the hour for Memorial Day.
"By holding a vigil from midnight last night to midnight tonight we are just trying to visualize a way to say, 'thank you' to those folks," said Jim Whary, who served in the Vietnam War.
Why are the volunteers standing?
They want to remind people that Memorial Day isn't just another vacation day, but rather a time to remember those who fought and died for our freedom.
"We sort of forget those folks as we go through our lives, so this is just kind of a reminder 'thank you' and all those families," Whary said. "It's a 'thank you' to all my brothers and sisters who couldn't be here today to enjoy it with me."
Why are events like this necessary?
"To honor our fallen soldiers, and to influence people to let them know what Memorial Day is all about," said Suzy Pena, who served in Desert Storm.
Pena stood from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. Monday, and said there are specific people she remembered as she stood in solidarity with the fallen soldiers.
"Moses Herrera, I remember him. I was young, but I remember him," Pena said. "Honor him and whoever else has died."
Pena said everyone should take time out of their day Monday to acknowledge those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
"If it wasn't for them, as we speak, we wouldn't have that freedom right now," Pena said.