American Legion Post 738 kicked off Memorial Day with its traditional community program honoring armed forces who have died in the line of duty. 

Residents gathered for a ceremony Monday morning at the Veterans Memorial in Jewett Park, followed by a parade to Deerfield Cemetery for a reading of the dead, along with a rifle salute by the Legionnaires.

"As the unofficial beginning of summer takes place, we must never lose focus of what Memorial Day really means. It’s not about beaches, picnics, auto races, or a 3 - day weekend," American Legion Commander John Coughenour stated during his ceremony speech.

"We in this country owe a great debt of gratitude to those who sacrificed their lives so that we could live free. We can start to pay that debt by not forgetting, by remembering what they did and what they stood for."