PLAINS TOWNSHIP -- For some people, Memorial Day is the start of the summer season. But it's also a time to remember those who have given their lives for our country.
Some people in Luzerne County paid their respects to fallen troops on Friday.
The V.A. Medical Center near Wilkes-Barre held its annual Memorial Day service, raising the flags that will stay up through Monday night. For the veterans there, it was a service that they say took them back to another time.
It was a day to remember, a day to honor the fallen, and a tough day for veterans like Frank Vols.
"Tears came to my eyes because I started remembering the people that i knew there."
Vols was just one of many vets at this year's Memorial Day ceremony at the V.A. Medical Center in Plains Township.
"I had a lot of friends there. Today was good to pay respect to them. I had a lot of friends that died and were sent home in body bags," Vols said.
"All of us who enjoy American freedoms, who enjoy American liberties, who enjoy American civil rights, we owe them to the people who died in service to our nation," said Rep. Matt Cartwright/ (D) 17th district
As veterans set up the wreath and raised the flag outside, those who served, like World War II veteran John Mc Keown, say the ceremony brought back some tough memories.
"You can't forget it. It's so real. It's implanted indefinitely in your mind."
Those flags at the V.A. center near Wilkes-Barre will stay raised through Monday night.