photo by: Kansas Governor's Office

Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday, May 27, 2024, joined leaders from the Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs Office to honor veterans and to dedicate the expansion of the columbarium wall at the Kansas Veterans Cemetery at Fort Dodge.

TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly participated in a Memorial Day ceremony at Fort Dodge Veterans Cemetery by honoring fallen service members and taking part in the ribbon cutting for a columbarium memorial wall.

She was among Kansas politicians who recognized the commitment of U.S. Armed Forces personnel who put their lives on the line for the country.

“The brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms represent the best of Kansas and our nation,” Kelly said. “On Memorial Day, and every day, we owe them our deepest gratitude for their service.”

photo by: Kansas Governor’s Office

Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday, May 27, 2024, joined leaders from the Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs Office to honor veterans and to dedicate the expansion of the columbarium wall at the Kansas Veterans Cemetery at Fort Dodge.

She issued an executive order directing that flags in Kansas to be flown at half-staff Monday.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, the ranking Republican on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, paid tribute to the late Sgt. John Herrick, a Kansan who died during the Normandy invasion in World War II.

“There are many heroes like Sergeant Herrick whose names are only remembered in the hearts of their descendants and etched into the stone at places like the Vietnam Memorial Wall and the white crosses of Arlington Cemetery,” the Kansas senator said. “How we memorialize and how we honor our veterans, when they have passed, sends a message to their families, our current and future servicemembers.”

Kansas Gold Star families associated with Fort Riley soldiers were the focus on U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall during Memorial Day weekend in Washington, D.C. He was among Kansas lawmakers who successfully urged Congress to pass a measure allowing more than 631 names to be added to the 1st Division Infantry Monument near the White House.

The names immortalized on the monument and unveiled this weekend were of Big Red One soldiers killed in action during Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

photo by: Kansas Reflector screen capture from photograph provided by U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall’s office

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall and other members of the Kansas delegation worked to add names of more than 600 fallen soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division based at Fort Riley to a monument located on White House grounds in Washington, D.C.

“Nothing will ever be enough to honor and thank these men and women for their service to our nation and their sacrifice,” Marshall said. “I am honored to be a part of this ceremony and ensure our fallen soldiers are engraved and recognized at this monument forever.”

Fatima Jaghoori, wife of the late U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Zachary Hargrove, a 32-year-old Wichita resident who died May, 3, 2012, in Bagram, Afghanistan, said she appreciated the opportunity to take part in Memorial Day events in Washington.

“To be able to come here in honor of Zac and to see how much all of the people involved in it, how much they really care about everybody that has given their life in war and throughout their services, is beautiful,” Jaghoori said.

photo by: Kansas Governor’s Office

Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday, May 27, 2024, joined leaders from the Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs Office to honor veterans and to dedicate the expansion of the columbarium wall at the Kansas Veterans Cemetery at Fort Dodge.