The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5231 gathered Monday morning at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Mancos for a Memorial Day service to pay tribute to fallen service members.

The service, headed by post Cmdr. Tom Enders, welcomed about 25 community members and ended with the firing of three volleys conducted by the honor guard.

“Montezuma County is an outstanding county when it comes to public support of patriotism for veterans. This one of the bigger crowds we’ve had. It’s a big event for a small community.” Enders said.

It was emotional ceremony for Enders, who lead Post 5231 through the ceremony with various traditional methods to honor fallen military members.

According to Enders, there are more than 40 cemeteries in Montezuma County, and the group tried to plant as many flags as possible at veterans’ headstones. They started Friday with the help of 20 volunteers.

On Saturday, Post 5231 did their memorial poppy distribution. The poppy is the official memorial flower of the VFW and has become a Memorial Day tradition to pay respect. The VFW also partners with American Legion in order to help each with their respective services because of the two groups’ dual membership and to create a sense of community.

Enders, who fought in Desert Storm during the Gulf War in the early 1990s, finds that learning the history of each veteran and honoring lost veterans are valued parts of the VFW’s mission. The group has members from wars dating to World War II up to Afghanistan.

“Certain words from the speech hit you harder than the other words. I tip my hat to the guys who can do it without choking up. I’m not one of them,” Enders said of the ceremony.

The VFW made multiple stops this weekend across Montezuma County, with visits to Webber, Goodman Point, Arriola, Lebanon, Cedar Grove, Peoples and Summit Ridge cemeteries.

“The brotherhood runs deep in organizations like this, and when we laid each other down, it’s like part of your family,” Enders said.

tbrown@durangoherald.com