A Montgomery County family steeped in military tradition once again honored those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom this Memorial Day.
The Souders family has maintained a small Veterans monument along Bethlehem Pike in Flourtown, Pa. since 1945 when Russ Souders, Sr. returned from World War II.
"It's a duty of a local citizen and also being in the military to perform a service for the community," Russ Souders, Jr. told NBC Philadelphia. "I think they need to see what Memorial Day is really about."
Souders, Jr., who served in the Army, proudly displays a worn photograph showing his father marching in the 1945 Flourtown parade -- taken in the exact location where the monument now stands.
With children and lawn chairs in tow, grateful neighbors of all ages stood near the limestone wall as a roll call of the fallen was delivered from a small PA system propped up on a checkered picnic table.
"All of the men in my family were in the service and this is a nice, quiet celebration to come to," said Joan Mazurek of Ambler, Pa.
“It puts Flourtown on the map," said Flourtown resident Shirley Reinhart. "Thank God for the Souders family.”
And as the Souders planted miniature versions of the Stars and Stripes in the grass alongside that memorial, Russ, Jr. and his wife Wendy think of their 19-year-old son -- also named Russ -- mending wounded soldiers as a Army Combat Medic in Afghanistan.
"It's just really great to be able to carry something on from a generation who was in World War II up until now, where our son being in Afghanistan, will now be added to the wall when he comes home," Wendy Souders said.
The memory of those lost, remembrance of those currently serving and the tradition of honoring all the enlisted also stands as a motivator for the next generation of soldiers.
"I was thinking about how I wanted to make a difference in my country and I figured West Point would be a good place to start," 15-year-old Maurice Rippel said.
