Crowds gathered under sunny skies Sunday at the Veterans Memorial Triangle, Hokendauqua for the Jones Quigg American Legion Post 739 annual Memorial Day program.

Retired U.S. Navy Master Chief Nathaniel Smith delivered the main address, chronicling the history of Memorial Day from its inception in 1867. The day was first observed in 1868 and officially became a holiday in 1873. In 1970, the National Holiday Act was created, officially recognizing Memorial Day.

Smith said after 9/11, virtually every house flew an American flag. Now few homes do so and Memorial Day parades to honor fallen veterans are mostly gone.

When establishing the three-day Memorial Day holiday weekend, Congress did little to have people remember the true meaning and purpose of the holiday.

"We need to return to the original day," Smith said. "The three-day holiday undermines the meaning of the day."

The red paper poppy uses red to symbolize the blood shed by miliary personnel and black to represent desolate war conditions as a symbol of military service people giving their lives for our country, Smith said.

"So many of our citizens forget the true meaning of Memorial Day," said Whitehall Mayor Edward D. Hozza Jr. as flags whipped in a strong breeze.

Veterans provide us all with our freedoms, Hozza said, and veterans, not attorneys, gave us the right to seek and discover truth. It was the veteran, not the politician, who provided us the right to vote, he said.

The First Presbyterian Church Choir, Hokendauqua, led the singing of patriotic hymns such as "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory."

The pledge to the flag was led by Post 739 Commander William Bandura and the Rev. Dr. Steven Shussett provided the invocation. For Post 739 members who died over the past year, a Transfer to Post Everlasting ceremony was held.

The Post 739 legion firing squad fired a volley of shots into the air as A Salute to the Dead was rendered. Taps was played on trumpet by Paul Wirth, as children and adults clutched small American flags. They were reminded by Smith that "freedom is not free" as soldiers and sailors paid for our freedoms with their very life.

Memorial Day programs were held Sunday and Monday at other sites, including Coplay American Legion Post 426 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7293 in Egypt.