Heroes honored at Memorial Park

In Southern Colorado, you don’t have to go far to find someone who knows a veteran or who is a veteran. So on days like Memorial Day, the significance of the holiday is not lost.

At Memorial Park in Colorado Springs, people gathered to have picnics and play by Prospect Lake.

One military veteran, Leana Pauldino, used the holiday to gather her friends at the park.

“I definitely wanted to have it here at Memorial Park because it’s Memorial Day,” Pauldino said. “We’re playing ultimate frisbee and just hanging out here having a nice time.”

One of Pauldino’s friends, Jimmy Quinlan, told KRDO NewsChannel 13 that he was remembering his grandfather, a nurse in the Vietnam War.

“He’s in my thoughts and prayers and I respect him so much,” Quinlan said.

Quinlan noted that celebrating the land of the free under America’s mountain seemed to be “the right place at the right time.”

“I mean, it’s beautiful. Look at the lake, look at the mountains,” he said. “Where else would you want to be to celebrate a place like this? It’s just the perfect place to be.”

Some people also visited the Veteran’s Memorial in Memorial Park to lay flowers and pay their respects. The Veteran’s Memorial is the highest point in the park. Each side of the memorial represents each of the five branches of the military.