“My prayer this morning was there will be no rain on this graveyard,” Army veteran Gary Dyer said Monday morning during Seymour’s Memorial Day service at Riverside Cemetery.

Dyer lead the group into prayer, grateful for the weather which was sunny and the reason why everyone was there: remembering the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

“Lord, bless the families that were behind those that lost loved ones today,” Dyer prayed. “May the blessings of the Lord come upon them; the loss of a dad or a mom or a child.”

Nicole Whewell with American Legion Post 89 in Seymour sang the national anthem as those wearing hats took them off and those listening put their hands on their hearts.

Jon Tracy escorted Vicky Stainbrook to place the American Legion memorial wreath. Then, Debbie Carpenter, escorted by Chris Ginn, placed the Veterans of Foreign War Axillary memorial wreath beside it.

“It’s the home of the free because of the brave,” said Dyer, repeating the phrase once more. The Vietnam War emphasized that freedom is in fact not free, but was paid by those who put everything on the line, he said.

Dyer said that not just on Memorial Day, but every week, he thinks about two or three of the fallen men who are not here with him today. The ones that he went to the battlefield with but did not return. The heroes, as Dyer called them, because while he saw and felt the same fears of his comrades, the real heroes for him were the ones that laid down their lives.

“I came back for 10 years thinking, ‘Why was I allowed to come back but they weren’t?’” said Dyer. “But I believe today that I’m allowed to come back, and you’re allowed to come back […] because you’re the voice.”

A core part of Dyer’s speech was about remembering, not just on Memorial Day, but every day, acting as the voices for those who can no longer speak.

Dyer finished his speech with a prayer and a moment of silence.

“In this busy world, it’s hard sometimes just to stop and be silent,” said Dyer.

The service was closed with the honor guard from American Legion Post 89 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1925 firing 21-gun salute.

Dyer’s daughter-in-law, Raven of Seymour, was at the Memorial Day service with family, as she has been for the past 11-12 years. Every year, after the service, they go out to eat and return to Riverview Cemetery to place flowers on the graves of family.

LaDonna Snyder of Seymour recalled when she was younger and lived in Kentucky. Back then, she called Memorial Day, Decoration Day.

On Decoration Day, Snyder would go to the cemetery and clean it up. Once they were finished cleaning up, Snyder went to a picnic lunch before returning to the cemetery to place flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers.

At Riverview Cemetery, Synder’s father is buried there, who fought in the Korean War.

After the Memorial Day service, Dyer announced the American Legion had food and drinks, opened to anyone who wanted to visit the post.