photo by: Mac Moore

Corey Ball, commander of the American Legion Dorsey-Liberty Post No. 14 in Lawrence, delivers remarks during a Memorial Day ceremony Monday, May 28, 2018 at Oak Hill Cemetery.

Ben Pennewell walked through Oak Hill Cemetery, observing the dates on each gravestone before occasionally stopping to place a single rose on a grave.

The 35-year-old veteran of the U.S. Army said he spends Memorial Day each year looking for men who died far too young so he can honor the sacrifice of these fallen service members.

“I just feel like the difference that I feel from age 21, 22 to now … I recognize what these soldiers really gave up,” Pennewell said.

Pennewell was one of the dozens of military veterans, their families and other community members who attended the Memorial Day ceremony held by the American Legion Dorsey-Liberty Post No. 14 on Monday at Oak Hill.

Post Commander Corey Ball gave a speech during the ceremony, discussing various heroes who had their lives cut short by war. He referred to the day’s gathering as a representation of the legacy of all U.S. military members lost in the line of duty.

“Americans gathered in a free society, unified with the common purpose of honoring uncommon bravery,” Ball said. “We are their legacy.”

This year holds even more significance, Ball said, as the U.S. military will recognize the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. The American Legion will celebrate its 99th anniversary, as the largest veterans organization in the country was created by the veterans of World War I shortly after the war ended, he said.

The ceremony took place in the Veterans Plot of the cemetery, which holds the graves of numerous veterans. It featured a flyover with a release of red, white and blue smoke courtesy of Warren-McElwain Mortuary, as well as a bagpipe and drum trio, a 21-gun rifle salute, a memorial bell-ringing and the playing of taps.