Darrin Divis folds his uncle's burial flag with Jodi Steirwalt, a US Navy Reserves Veteran. Divis said the folding has many symbolic gestures to the lost solider and their family, and was important to display for the general public.
A crowd of about 40 claps for the mountain bells group after playing on Memorial Day. Veterans from several conflicts attended the service.
Barbara Knopp, the president of Veterans and Families of Seeley Lake, speaks to the crowd during the Memorial Day service. Knopp touched on the importance of sacrifice and remembrance during the event.
Darrin Divis salutes the American flag on Veterans Day in Seeley Lake.
Darrin Divis held his uncle's burial flag tightly as each fold symbolized an honor placed on veterans for their service. Roughly 40 people looked on as the Seeley Lake community honored and celebrated its veterans at the Memorial garden last Monday.
Divis, an Iraq war veteran, said each year's memorial is similar in principle, but this year the Veterans and Families of Seeley Lake (VFSL) hoped to educate the public while preserving the traits of sacrifice and courage that many veterans had when they served their country.
"By their service on land, sea or air, (veterans) have made us their debtors," said Barbara Knopp, president of VFSL. "Far too often we take advantage of our freedom."
About 84,000 veterans live in Montana, making up 10% of the state's population, according to the Veteran's Data Center. Just under 2% of Montana's veterans served in World War II, while more than a third served in Vietnam.
Norm Sindelar, a Seeley resident and Navy veteran, said he noticed the Seeley memorial crowd was one of the largest he has seen.
"There's a lot of veterans here in Seeley Lake," Sindelar said.
As the event started, the Seeley-Swan Mountain Bells played the Star Spangled Banner and the Armed Forces Medley, which was arranged by local, Bev Evans. The group has played at the Seeley Memorial Day service since 2012, but has been sidelined-at-times with the pandemic and bad weather.
The group performed with an ensemble of about half of a full choir, yet the tune echoed past the audience and into the woods around the memorial.
"I've been here 11 years and been ringing the whole time," performer and veteran Glen Stocking said.
Knopp delivered her speech, often holding back tears, as she recalled the sacrifice veterans made over centuries - including her late husband Glen. She said she was concerned that the future of our country might be more focused on the three day weekend, rather than honoring those lost to war.
"As a free nation we need to know sacrifice, or else making a sacrifice won't be an option in the future," Knopp said.
Divis, who served for 14 months in Iraq, recalled the harshness of war. He sat as a gunner on a medical rescue helicopter, often encountering gunfire from all directions during his more than 600 missions.
"I think the reality of war really hit you when you heard gunshots coming your way, people trying to kill you," he said.
He said it is important to honor those who died in battle, as many did. He also expressed the importance of tradition through the military, like folding a burial flag. Each fold represents a different part of the person's life, from eternal life to honoring their mother and father.
Divis brought the flag of his uncle, who served in World War II and was a prisoner of war in Nazi Germany. Even after he died at the old age of 95, Divis still gets emotional thinking about his family's service and sacrifice.
"I usually wear sunglasses to these things, because I don't like it when people can see you cry," Divis said.
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