During the Memorial Day Ceremony May 28, Seeley Lake Fire Chief Dave Lane and Fire Department Maintenance Officer and Volunteer Jim Sackett fold the flag as the meaning of the 13 folds was read by Seeley Lake Veterans & Families President Barbara Knopp.
SEELEY LAKE - Seeley Lake honored its veterans this Memorial Day at a ceremony that included prayers and a demonstration of the 13 folds of the U.S. flag was accompanied by an explanation for each fold.
Barbara Knopp, who lead the ceremony, gave a brief history of Memorial Day's origins.
"The observance of this day was born in 1863 when Confederate women were cleaning their soldiers graves and noticed how badly the Union soldiers graves were overgrown with weeds and mud," she told the crowd.
The women realized that all the soldiers were cherished loved ones of their own families and communities and decided to clean and honor the other graves as well. Memorial Day became a national holiday in 1868.
Then, the ceremony of the 13 folds was conducted by Seeley Lake Fire Chief Dave Lane and Seeley Lake Fire Department Maintenance Officer and Volunteer Jim Sackett while Knopp read the meaning of each fold. The meanings of some of the folds were eternal life, the sacrifices of mothers and fathers, the armed forces and both Christian and Jewish religious traditions.
"Those of you present remember the true meaning of Memorial Day," Knopp said. "You understand that on Memorial Day we honor the ideals and values these soldiers stood for and died for while defending our nation."
Knopp closed the ceremony by thanking the crowd for their attendance and asking them to have a moment of silence at 3 p.m. which is designated as the National Moment of Remembrance by the United States.
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