Memorial Day weekend, Southeast Wisconsin honors the fallen

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MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- This Memorial Day weekend, people across the Milwaukee area are remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Multiple events are being held to honor the brave.

The Vietnam Veterans Moving Wall tours the country and it's now in Greenfield. “It’s to educate the community for what Vietnam was, what has happened, and to honor the 58,000 plus members, service members that died in Vietnam and never made it back," said Julie Rome, president of the Dan Jansen Family Fest.

The wall is engraved with the names of each person who died in the war. "I felt terrible that each one of those names was a person, in fact, I cried a couple times," said Mary Riley who came out to pay her respects.

Meanwhile in Brookfield, the names of the fallen were read during the Marine Corps Memorial Service.

They also honored MPD officer Matthew Rittner who was killed in the line of duty. "He had served one or two tours in Iraq, never got injured…May he Rest In Peace."

At Wood National Cemetery, 35,000 American flags were placed on the headstones of those were once in the armed forces.

“This is the reason there is such a holiday weekend,” said Julie Koepp. "It's not really a holiday, but you're honoring the people who actually gave you this freedom."

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