People from all over the Chicago area took time out this Memorial Day to honor fallen service members.
At Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery near Elwood, Illinois southwest of Chicago, there was pomp, circumstance, and honors for "Poppa J." — the father of Jessica LaRoche.
"Our dad was in the Navy, and he was huge into airplanes," LaRoche said.
Poppa J. — Robert Lee Jarvis — is buried at the cemetery. He gets a visit from LaRoche and her kids every Memorial Day.
The little ones never met their grandfather — a Navy veteran who passed away nine years ago.
"Making him present for them is so important," said LaRoche.
Meanwhile, sweet memories of U.S. Army veteran Roy Gaines compelled son Aaron to drive 75 miles from home with flowers.
"I know there going to remove the flowers, but it's the thought — and I want him to know I'm here," Gaines said.
Indeed, every gravesite at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery was decorated for the holiday. There were tens of thousands of tiny flags for what must be millions of days of service.
"All these people are heroes to us," said Gaines. "Why not come out here and show our appreciation?"
At a ceremony at the cemetery, a speaker reminded those gathered that freedom isn't free. Navy veteran Sandra Morales knows that well.
Morales showed up with her dad and brother to pay tribute to multiple people buried at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery.
"It's a little melancholy, I guess," she said, "you know, knowing what they did, hearing what they, hearing their stories."
"Everybody here is very connected, I guess," said Sandra's brother, Alex Morales. "It's all a community of people who lost family members — people who have family members buried here at the cemetery. So I feel it's a hallowed event."
The hallowed event continues to grow every year. A total of 78,604 veterans and their spouses are buried at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery as of this week, and it is not even a quarter full.
Lauren Victory
Lauren Victory is a Morning Insider reporter for CBS2 Chicago. Lauren joined the station in May 2016 and is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.