KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Around the country cities will recognize Memorial Day to remember those who served our country.
2018 marks 100 years since World War I ended.
In Kansas City, the National World War I Museum and Memorial had several activities planned for the Monday holiday.
How cool is this! A father drew cartoons on the envelope when he mailed letters to his son during World War I. Some of the envelopes were stolen in the mail and the letter was placed in a plain envelope. @41actionnews #MemorialDay pic.twitter.com/jZqyhguIP2
— Steven Dial (@StevenDialTV) May 28, 2018
At 10 a.m. there was a program to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
The speaker for the event was retired Naval Officer and NASA Captain Jon McBride.
"My dad was in WWI, so this is a special thing for me. He served two years in Europe, so it is a special honor for me to be here," McBride said.
McBride also said he hopes visitors walk away from his speech feeling a little differently about the country.
"I hope that they will walk away thinking that they are much prouder about our country and the people that have served, our veterans. For the people who have given their lives, the people who are serving right now, for those young kids who want to come to the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard. So I hope all of them, from the little ones, to the big ones, walk away with a different feeling about America," McBride said.
Outside of the memorial stand 140 flags, which symbolize the roughly 140 veterans who commit suicide every week.
This 100 year old painting is called “Gassed”. It’s on loan from London and it leave the WWI Museum and Memorial Sunday. @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/DD99xEx1iQ
— Steven Dial (@StevenDialTV) May 28, 2018
On the grounds of the museum Monday is a helicopter that was used during the Vietnam War.
The helicopter served in hundreds of missions and was shot down four times.
The museum was packed, and thousands came to the ceremonies.
"It's an awesome place to come," Charlie Wells said.
Wells, a tour guide at the museum and Air Force veteran, comes from a family of veterans. He's been volunteering at the museum for six years and loves teaching the younger generation about the wars.
"I talk to them about World War I, which is something none of us really learned about, if you will, but you find out how much it relates to today. So I try to bring that up so they understand the importance of being here and what they're going to learn here," Wells said.
The Walk of Honor just in front of the 140 flags bears the names of 11,000 veterans. On Monday, 112 more bricks were dedicated.
One woman went to the dedication ceremony to see the names of seven friends and family members, plus her husband, who was a veteran.
"It's sentimental. Kind of brings tears to my eyes because my husband's been gone a long time," the woman said. "It's wonderful."
Many folks took the opportunity to find their loved one's brick, like Valerie Minniear.
"I think things like this are very important. It shows people, ties us to the past, that these were actually people who served," Minniear said, whose father served in WWII and grandfather served in WWI.
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