CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Hundreds upon hundreds of flags waved in the wind at the Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery on Memorial Day, each representing a fallen veteran’s story.
Ramiro Alejos was a sergeant in the U.S. Army in the 1960s, and a lot of his own family was in other military branches. Monday, he was visiting his younger brother, who was a sergeant in the Air Force, and other friends and family who are buried at the cemetery.
“I come to honor the military," he said. "I love them and I love my three years of my service in the Army. I have a lot of friends, I made a lot of friends and they were good people."
Jorge Roses joined the Air Force right after high school, attaining the rank of master sergeant. He also was at the cemetery on Monday.
“We owe them a debt," he said of those who died during their service. "We owe them something that’s not payable with anything except honor.”
Roses said Memorial Day isn’t just about celebrating fallen military members once a year, but every day of the year.
“They were there to defend us," he said. "You, and I, and the rest of the world.”
Rodney Dallas is a U.S. Navy veteran who just moved to the Coastal Bend.
He went to the cemetery on Monday to show his appreciation for the fallen servicemen, servicewomen and veterans who sacrificed their lives when they didn’t have to.
Dallas said he plans on being buried at the cemetery himself when he dies.
“You’re around your comrades, your partners that fought for the same reasons," he said. "It’s very special.”
