Over 100 people from Northern Nevada put their loved ones on the Gold Star Tree at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa on Saturday.

For some families, military service is a tradition.

"I'm fourth generation [Marines] from my mother's side," said Steven Ward. "My mom was the third generation, and we found out after my son passed that he was a fifth generation."

Steven Ward's son Eric passed away in 2010 during combat. Honor Flight Nevada flies Steven out five times a year to see his son's grave at Arlington National Cemetery. He says it's gotten easier to tell Eric's story over the years.

Eric Ward headstone - Photo

Steven Ward visits his son Eric's headstone at Arlington National Cemetery five times a year thanks to Nevada Honor Flight. Credit: Jon Yuspa

"At first it was a little difficult to share him with the whole bus," Steven Ward said, "but after a while I was able to invite everyone to come off and honor other fallen in that section too."

Eric Ward is one of many fallen soldiers the tree honors. Another attendee says three members of his family died in the army.

"[My] dad and uncle were killed in Vietnam," said Jeff Evans. "They were one of 31 sets of brothers of the 58,000 who died in Vietnam. My brother was injured on a second tour in Iraq and died stateside from the complications of those injuries."

One veteran of the Nevada Air National Guard volunteered for the Korean War.

"When they were activated, he actually volunteered to go to Korea. His unit was not assigned to Korea," said Diana Brown-Sanfilippo, whose father Frank Salazar remains missing in action to this day.

Salazar, and over a hundred other Northern Nevada Veterans, will be honored at the Atlantis through the holiday season, thanks to an idea Nevada Honor Flight borrowed from a library.

"A couple of us were down at the Ronald Reagan Library," said Jon Yuspa, founder of Nevada Honor Flight. "They had a Christmas tree with pictures hanging in bulbs. And we asked, 'can we take some pictures and refine the idea?'"

The Gold Star Tree will stay lit just outside of Bistro Napa through January 3rd.