On Monday, members of the Douglas County Sheriff's Mounted Posse were at Eastside Memorial Park, where two days before they, the Tahoe Douglas Elks and Honor Flight members placed flags.
Nearly 100 people turned out on Memorial Day for a ceremony conducted in the Genoa Cemetery.
Former Douglas High School teacher and coach Jeff Evans talked about his father and uncle, who are among 31 sets of brothers killed in Vietnam.
In December 2024, Evans and his family went to the country to visit the locations where his uncle and dad were killed when he was 2 years old.
He said he was shown a memorial where his 19-year-old uncle, who was a helicopter door gunner, went down with the ship while providing cover fire.
A woman showed the group a memorial where the helicopter went down in a remote part of Vietnam.
He visited the island where his father was killed in a helicopter collision in country.
Evans' brother, who was a year old when their father was killed, died in 2011 from service related issues after he was injured by an improvised explosive device.
Evans recently retired after five years with the Eureka County School District.
He told the crowd that he also took charge of raising the flag ahead of football games both at Douglas and Eureka.
There was always a student volunteer who helped.
"I would always tell them that raising the flag was the most important part of the football game," he said.
He said the Eureka High School student body president quoted him during her graduation speech that "I taught her playing the game wasn't important, the freedom to play the game was what was important. I never thought of it that way. While this ceremony is important, the freedom to have this ceremony is what is important."
In addition to Evans, Douglas County Sheriff's Sgt. John Lenz performed on the cello and Douglas High School JrROTC cadets presented the colors.
Marian Vassar and friends sang the National Anthem, "God Bless America" and "America the Beautiful." Gayle Vassar recited the history of Memorial Day.
Reach for Joy conducted a Veterans and First Responder's Appreciation Freedom Barbecue to open the Memorial Day weekend on Saturday at High Sierra Fellowship, 1250 Gilman Ave., Gardnerville.
Pastor Rich Lammay estimated the barbecue had fed 700 people in its first hour with another 90 minutes to go.
A Memorial Day service will be conducted at the Genoa Cemetery on Monday.
The cemetery is located north of Genoa at 2396 Jacks Valley Road. The brief service will begin at 10 a.m. with the presentation of the colors by the Douglas High School JROTC.
Three Gold-Star family member Jeff Evans will be the keynote speaker.
The service is sponsored by Capitol Unit 4 of the American Legion Auxiliary in cooperation with the Genoa Cemetery Association.
Email Maggie Tracey at [email protected] or Chris Ritger at [email protected] for more information.
Tahoe Douglas Elks, the Douglas County Sheriff's Mounted Posse and Honor Flight members placed flags at Eastside Memorial Park in Minden on Friday.