Mesa church hosts special Memorial Day event to honor fallen servicemembers
MESA, Ariz. - A tribute memorial and concert was held at the Apache Wells Community Church in Mesa on May 31, as Arizona and the rest of the country pay tribute to the fallen service men and women as part of Memorial Day.
More than 200 American flags don the site of the memorial, wrapping around the entire church. Each flag represents someone from the congregation who served in the military.
"I'm here because hundreds of thousands aren't here," said Thomas Doc Holiday, who is an Army veteran, He served during the Vietnam Conflict.
For Holiday, everyday is Memorial Day.
"I'm wandering around, congratulating the other vets," said Holiday. "Regular people have no idea the trial and tribulations of serving, even in peacetime."
"If we don't remember history, we forget it, especially of service," said Katie Evans, who is the church's pastor. "Memorial Day is for individuals who have passed, who have lost their life or given service to their country, and we have a good half of our members who have served, or their spouses have served and passed."
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