They came to Houston National Cemetery in flip flops and antebellum dresses, leather riding vests and Sunday-best hats, T-shirts and dress blues, but the Memorial Day crowd had one purpose: honor.

“No matter what you think of the war, you honor the warrior,” Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson told the crowd Monday during a holiday assembly.

As families milled about privately on the grounds where 80,000 veterans and spouses are laid to rest, hundreds convened for a Memorial Day ceremony to honor those vets buried at the cemetery and celebrate the commitment of military members. Not lost among their service, speakers said, is thanking the families and friends of former and current servicemen and women for their dedication on the home front.

“We thank you, too, for providing them with love and support and, yes, a little discipline,” Capt. James Mehrmann, the day’s emcee, said.

via Houston National Cemetery a place of thanks, remembrance – Houston Chronicle.