Beautiful weather and a strong sense of patriotism led hundreds to visit area cemeteries and attend Memorial Day ceremonies Monday.

In Lawrence, American Legion Dorsey-Liberty Post No. 14 had its ceremony at 10 a.m. at Oak Hill Cemetery, while an hour later the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 852 observed the holiday at Memorial Park Cemetery.

“This is probably the best crowd we’ve had in quite a long time,” said Skip Montgomery, commander of Post 852. “It’s the weather. Last year it was hot, and there was a chance of storms.”

Another reason for the high turnout could be the U.S. military losses suffered this year in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“It’s always a special day, but we are in a conflict,” said Bernie Hill, second vice commander of the American Legion Post. “We have seen so many funeral ceremonies this year.”

Judy Keller brought her three daughters to the American Legion ceremony. Some of Keller’s relatives have served in the military, but none of them died in battle.

“I think every Memorial Day is important,” Keller said. “It is especially poignant, however, when we have citizens in harm’s way.”

Keller said she thought it was important to bring her children to the ceremony.

Three generations of a family search for markers of their relatives to lay flowers in Oak Hill Cemetery. Summer Skeet, Perry, her 1-year-old daughter Emma Wright and Emma's grandmother, Susan Easum, Perry, walk near a flag-lined road Monday. Memorial Day events included ceremonies at Oak Hill Cemetery, Memorial Park Cemetery and Clinton Cemetery.

“We want our children to know what Memorial Day means, which is to remember and honor those who have died,” she said.

State Sen. Mark Buhler, R-Lawrence, spoke at the Veterans of Foreign Wars ceremony. State Rep. Barbara Ballard, D-Lawrence, and former Mayor Erv Hodges also attended the ceremony.

“It’s a time to stop and remember,” Buhler said. “We don’t do that very often. The older I get, the more important that becomes.”

The American Legion ceremony featured remarks by Lt. Col. Thomas A. Hardy, commander of the 317th Quartermaster Battalion. Hardy described the 129th Transportation Company and its recent return to Kansas in his speech.

Bill Hornberger Jr., Eudora, a Korean War veteran, stands in reflection over the grave of his father Bill Hornberger Sr. in Oak Hill Cemetery. Hornberger Jr. also participated in a Veterans of Foreign Wars ceremony Monday at Memorial Park Cemetery.

“Some wonder if this generation has what it takes to protect the freedoms older generations have fought for,” Hardy said.

Members of the 129th stayed in Iraq for 16 months when they were originally told they would stay six months, he said. They endured 100-degree-plus heat and ran convoys of heavy equipment into Iraq from Kuwait.

“They soldiered on and stayed vigilant,” Hardy said. “On this Memorial Day, let us not remember just those who have fallen. Let us remember those who are still in harm’s way.”

The day was not only for soldiers. Loma Gregg sat by her daughter’s grave at Memorial Park Cemetery most of the morning. Her daughter, Brenda, died last year of deep vein thrombosis, a condition where a blood clot forms in a vein.

“We’re here honoring the people who were lost,” Gregg said. “Everybody can donate five minutes of their time to honor their family members. We should honor the people we love.”

Gregg said she planned to collect the artificial flowers left on graves this year. Usually, they are thrown away a week after Memorial Day. She plans to save them and put them on undecorated graves next year.

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