Nationwide, Americans are paying tribute to fallen troops in person again this Memorial Day weekend.

Ceremonies were held at both the Vietnam and Korean War Veteran’s memorials on the Lakewalk Sunday.

At the Korean War Veteran's memorial, a poem was read by Dale Erickson, who served as a Sergeant in the Korean War.

“The poem is called the final inspection,” Erickson said.

The author of the poem is unknown, but Erickson believes its message should be known by the public. He included it in his own book, Killer Eyes, which he wrote in 2005.

“It honors the military that served in combat,” Erickson said.

At the Vietnam War Veteran's memorial, servicemen and women's sacrifice was honored through music and speeches, including a speech by Congressman Pete Stauber.

“It's a special honor for me to be able to be here and speak for a couple minutes about how proud we are and how lucky we are to live in this country,” Stauber said.

Throughout the ceremony, many along the Lakewalk stopped to pay their respects. John Marshall, Captain of the Duluth Honor Guard, said it meant a lot to have the community's support as servicemen and women carry on Memorial Day traditions.

“For us that have seen the worst of humanity, we will live with that until we take our last breath here in this life and so it’s so important for us to get together and remember at least one day every year. Memorial Day for most of us is every day,” Marshall said.

In addition to those who died in combat, loved ones who lost sons, daughters, spouses and so on were recognized for their sacrifices.

“Not only do we remember our war dead, but we remember the widows, the orphans and the families of our fallen. We do have a number of families here in Duluth that have lost loved ones in war and their lives are forever changed and so it's so very important to continue on with these traditions,” Marshall said.

More Memorial Day traditions are scheduled to continue on Monday. Information about those can be found here.

To see the original report and read related stories, follow this link to the WDIO-TV website. https://www.wdio.com/duluth-minnesota-news/memorial-day-traditions-return-to-the-northland/6126258/