BOULDER CITY (KTNV) — It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of Memorial Day weekend, with vacations, barbecues or maybe time at the lake.
When you stop by the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City, though, you're quickly reminded of the real reason for the holiday, with fields of flags flowing in the wind as far as the eye can see, serving as thousands of tributes to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
VIDEO: Guy Tannenbaum speaks to locals who came to Boulder City to honor loved ones
"It's beautiful," longtime Henderson local Charlie Lombardo said Saturday. "It's absolutely beautiful, there's nothing better than our flag."
"Seeing the number of flags that were placed here today is a really moving moment," said Lora Smyth, who's lived in Boulder City for nearly 25 years. "This is a place of remembrance. There are acres and acres of humans that decided to give of themselves for the United States. I take every opportunity I can to come out here and pay my respects."
Smyth visited her friend's husband's gravesite on Saturday, putting a penny on Tom Zwick's headstone.
"She was my coworker, and he treated her like absolute gold," Smyth said. "A penny means that I'm remembering you today. Tom's had many pennies put on his grave by me, and he'll continue to."
Lombardo has a tradition of his own.
"The first thing I always say is 'I miss you, I love you, and I give them a nice salute,'" Lombardo said.
He's saluting his parents, Thomas and Josephine Lombardo.
"Dad was in World War II, and mom was working back home in support of the war," he said.
Plus, Lombardo has several friends who served in Vietnam buried in Boulder City, too.
"I usually do the route and visit all of them," Lombardo said. "You just get an extra special patriotic feeling when you see this beautiful sight."
Honoring our heroes on Memorial Day weekend and beyond.
"These were the people who gave of themselves, and I'm so grateful," Smyth said.
"It's amazing how many people you see out here, no matter what time of day or what time of the year you come," Lombardo said. "It does my heart good."
Channel 13 put together a list of Memorial Day services, ceremonies and events around the Las Vegas valley this weekend, which can be viewed by clicking here.
For more information on the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery, visit their website by clicking here.
