Gold Star families were given yellow flowers to place on the memorial in honor of their loved ones.

In honor of Memorial Day weekend, today Honor Flight Nevada geld their Gold Star Memorial to honor families who lost a loved one in the service.

Often called the honor that nobody wants, Gold Star families are those who have lost a relative in the line of duty.

For these families, Memorial Day is every day, but getting the chance to honor their loved ones today, helps keep their memory alive.

"I honor Eric every day, I wear a bracelet, I keep a tag on my car," said Steven Ward, Gold Star Father. "I don't forget my son. He's my youngest son he was a fifth generation Marine. So, it means a lot to me especially when I have my closest friends here." 

"We are dedicating a moment to those who have lost, as we say gone west," said Mike Leonard, Gold Star Brother. "Folks who have meant a lot to us. For Lindy's case her dad, and for my case my brother."

Gold Star families were given yellow flowers to place on the memorial in honor of their loved ones.

Despite the rainy skies and gray clouds, nothing was going to stop these families from honoring their fallen heroes, which included children, parents, and grandparents. 

While all these families share their own tragedies separately, being a gold star family member gives them another sense of belonging with one another. 

"You're a part of a very unique family that you think you don't want to be a part of, but you're so blessed that you know these people and their sacrifices," said Liny Leonard, Gold Star Daughter. "When I'm with these women who have lost their sons, I can't even begin to describe that pain and never having a dad for me, this is like my family."

Some say that the barbeques and camping are a great way to spend the holiday, however it's important to recognize those who are no longer here with us. 

"I feel the loss deeply, it's not about barbeques for me, it's about honoring our fallen and keeping them in our thoughts every day, every chance we can," Ward said.

For some, there's never enough ways you can honor those who have fallen.

"Those are the folks that we owe so much to. We just can't do enough for them and say enough or remember enough those times and people. We just can't do enough for them," Mike Leonard said.

There was one statement that was mentioned a lot today at the memorial, that many families feel to this very day.

"My favorite statement of all of this is that our little granddaughter said the lesson she learned, she's 12 years old and she said someone dies for our freedom every day and freedom is never free," Lindy Leonard said.

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