They may be gone, but they certainly won’t be forgotten Monday.

Area veterans and citizens are getting ready to honor veterans for their service, especially those who died in battle or have passed on since.

“It’s the only day we have in Minnesota’s legacy and history that we honor those who made the supreme sacrifice for our country,” said Norm Hecimovich, president of the Memorial Day committee.

“We in America take our freedoms for granted, and sometimes we don’t do enough for these people,” he added.

Memorial Day events in Austin will kick off with a flag raising ceremony at the V.F.W. and American Legion at 6:50 a.m. The flag raising on the lawn of the government center will be held a few minutes earlier because of a change in that ceremony.

The parade will be at 8:30 a.m. and Memorial Day services will be at Oakwood Cemetery at 9:30 a.m.

The Veterans’ Committee prepared for the day by doing a little more work at the memorial. A total of 750 pavers have now been sold, according to Hecimovich.

Memorial Day started as a memorial to veterans of the Civil War before being expanded to all wars. This is the sesquicentennial of the start of the Civil War. The names of 43 Civil War Veterans are listed on the Mower County Veterans’ Memorial wall for having died in the Civil War, according to Hecimovich. Three pavers have been bought in honor of Civil War veterans from Mower County, he added.

But Hecimovich noted Memorial Day is not just a day to honor veterans who have passed on — it’s a day to recognize all veterans.

“It’s everybody’s responsibility to honor the veterans,” he said.

“It’s very, very important,” he added.

Grand Meadow to honor vets at 13 cemeteries

After half a decade, Grand Meadow is ready to reveal its own veterans memorial.

At 4 p.m. Monday, the Grand Meadow American Legion will dedicate the Grand Meadow Veterans’ Memorial in a short ceremony, capping off a lot of hard work.

“We’ve put in five years of planning and two years of work,” Legion Commander Leland Ottman said.

So far, 174 pavers have been installed, but Ottman said there’s room to add more of the pavers, which cost $250 to honor living and dead veterans.

“Our legion just feels it’s important to honor those who have gone before us,” Ottman said.

Members of the Grand Meadow American Legion will be busy Monday when they visit 13 cemeteries.

“We feel it’s so important to honor those people that why we travel almost 100 miles and do 13 cemeteries,” Ottman said.

Many of the members will be overcoming a variety of ailments to honor veterans, including Ottman. In February and March, Ottman was hospitalized twice with pneumonia. He still has to use an oxygen tank, and said he’d bring along an extra so he doesn’t miss a thing.

“It’s a real challenge for some of these guys to go,” he said.

Memorial Day Events:

Austin

6:50 a.m. Flag raising at V.F.W. and American Legion

7 a.m. Breakfast for all Memorial Day participants at the American Legion Post No. 91

7:45 a.m. Flag raising and program at Veterans’ Memorial outside Mower County Government Center

8:30 a.m. Parade line up on Fourth Avenue Northeast

8:45 a.m. Parade (Route: Fourth Avenue Northeast south on Main Street and east on Second Avenue Northeast)

9:30 a.m. Memorial Day Service at Oakwood Cemetery

10:05 a.m. Honor Navy, Marine and Coast Guard personnel buried at sea at Horace Austin State Park Bridge with a firing salute and depositing of wreath in the river.

11 a.m. Calvary Cemetery, V.FW.; Grandview Cemetery, American Legion

11:30 a.m. Enterprise Cemetery, American Legion; Lansing Cemetery, V.F.W.

Noon Midway/Oakland Cemetery, V.F.W.

Grand Meadow American Legion

8 a.m. Emanuel Lutheran and Pleasant Valley cemeteries

8:15 a.m. St. Johns Cemetery

8:50 a.m. Sumner Cemetery

9:10 a.m. Hamilton Cemetery

9:25 a.m. Frankford Cemetery

9:40 a.m. Bear Creek Cemetery

10:15 a.m. Service at Grand Meadow High School featuring a guest speaker and singers

11:15 a.m. Grand Meadow Cemetery

11:30 a.m. St. Finbarrs Cemetery

11:45 a.m. Dexter Cemetery

12:05 p.m. Zion Lutheran Cemetery

12:30 p.m. Trinity Evangelical Lutheran

12:45 p.m. Hoflanda Cemetery

4 p.m. Dedicating memorial

Lyle American Legion

9 a.m. Cedar Cemetery

9:30 a.m. London Cemetery

10 a.m. Deer Creek Cemetery

10:30 a.m. Woodbury Cemetery

11 a.m. Mona Cemetery

11:30 a.m. Six-Mile Grove Cemetery

Six-Mile Grove has dinner after the service

For more Memorial Day events, see your local V.F.W. or American Legion. Most events will be held rain or shine, unless otherwise noted.