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MILWAUKEE -- Many view Memorial Day as the unofficial start to summer, celebrated with cookouts and family parties. Meanwhile, the true meaning of the day is a lot more serious -- remembering those in the military who paid the ultimate sacrifice, and there were many events in Milwaukee Monday, May 28th meant to do just that.
Groups gathered at Wood National Cemetery in Milwaukee Monday to remember those who sacrificed their lives for our future.
"For those who have invested their lives in the future of this country, for those whose last moments of life were spent protecting their comrades or the innocent people around them, the people and the principles of our great nation," Rev. Carl Krueger Jr. said.
The ceremony also honored the haunting music of "Taps." The music is 150 years old this year.
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and its Auxiliary hosted a Civil War Memorial Day ceremony at the Calvary Cemetery on Bluemound Road in Milwaukee.
Over 20 percent of Wisconsin's male population served in the Civil War.
In downtown Milwaukee, the 147th annual Memorial Day parade filled the streets with a mixture of pride, gratitude and remembrance -- especially for veterans.
"We should be honoring those that gave the ultimate sacrifice - their life, and it's a good thing to honor them. Also, my grandfather's in the parade," Iraq war veteran ViAnna Jordan said.
The parade ended at the War Memorial on the lakefront with the laying of the wreath.
The Memorial Day parade in Milwaukee has occurred every year since the Civil War ended.
The U.S. Coast Guard was the honored branch of service this year.