DOVER, DE- Lakeside Cemetery opened its gates on Monday to continue a Memorial Day tradition of paying tribute to local soldiers who gave their lives in service to the United States.
In its 24th year, guided tours throughout the day highlighted the stories of fallen World War II and Korean War soldiers laid to rest at the Dover cemetery.
For many Dover neighbors, like Carol Young, the experience hit close to home.
"My dad's buried here. He was a pilot, and he was an instructor for a few years. But I had other uncles and cousins that were in the war."
During the tour, visitors learned about 16 World War II soldiers and two Korean War soldiers who are buried at the cemetery.
Former Lakeside Cemetery caretaker Danny Waite, who led Monday's guided tour, said their stories represent just a few of the many men from Delaware who served.
"There are approximately 44 men from the Dover area that died during World War Two. There were 784 from Delaware."
Young said she did not realize how many war heroes came from Delaware, particularly Kent County, and was moved by the scale of the First State's contribution.
"I was just really impressed at what Dover and Delaware has done for the war and the contribution a lot of these guys did. I just didn't realize that we had such heroes among us."
Waite said he has spent more than 20 years researching the lives of these fallen soldiers.
Through his work, he hopes to bring attention to the humanity behind each name etched in stone.
"These were regular young men, some of them boys, and they had lives, and they were people. They walked our streets and lived right here in our town."
Waite said the sacrifice of these men and women helped shape the nation as we know it today, and that their stories are worth preserving and honoring.
"They were men that answered the call for their country in its hour of need and gave their lives to defend democracy."
Young said she left the tour with a deeper appreciation for Delaware's place in history.
"It's a time that I'm familiar with and just hearing stories... it's just an important, important war."
But more importantly, she said, she hopes others walk away with the same sense of gratitude — not just on Memorial Day, but throughout the year.
"It's time just to honor and say thank you and remember what a great country we have because of them."
Honoring those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, the tour served as a solemn reminder of the lives behind the headstones — and the legacy they left behind.