Lee Stephens kisses her hand to leave on the gravestone of her son Dane Stephens at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver on May 25, 2025. Stephens was killed, at the age of 19, when the plane he was aboard crashed in Gander Newfoundland on Dec. 12, 1985. The plane was carrying U.S. Army personnel from Cairo, Egypt, to their home base in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, via Cologne, West Germany, and Gander, Newfoundland. On the morning of Thursday, 12 Dec. 1985, shortly after takeoff from Canada's Gander International Airport en route to Fort Campbell, the McDonnell Douglas DC-8 serving the flight stalled, crashed, and burned about half a mile from the runway, killing all 248 passengers and 8 crew members on board. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Visitors paid their respects for loved ones at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver on May 25, 2025.
Hundreds of volunteers with Flags for Fallen Vets helped place flags on every single grave marker of fallen vets and their family members for the weekends events. Amber Schoenrock, lead coordinator for the organization, said this year they placed 109,000 flags costing $10,000 to do. They rely on volunteers to help them place the flags as well as pick up the flags after the long holiday.
Memorial Day is a day to honor and remember those who have died while serving in the United States military. It’s observed on the last Monday of May and is a time for reflection and remembrance. It began as a way to decorate the graves of Civil War soldiers.
