In the veterans section of Oak Hill Cemetery, the hundreds of uniform headstones in straight rows call to mind soldiers in formation. On this day, alongside each headstone is a small American flag and bouquet of red flowers.

Audrey Kamb-Studdard places flowers at the gravestone of her husband John Buran Studdard, in the Veteran’s Plot at Oak Hill Cemetery on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 2015. John Studdard was a veteran of the Korean War and a former chaplain with the local American Legion. Kamb-Studdard brought along her recently adopted dog Stella, who provides companionship after the death of her husband in 2013. “He didn’t care for dogs,” said Kamb-Studdard.

After laying flowers on her husband’s plaque Monday, Audrey Kamb-Studdard sits for a moment on the granite bench set among the headstones. Engraved upon it are the words, “Lest we forget.” Kamb-Studdard is one of several visitors who want to remember.

She comes every Memorial Day to honor her husband, John Studdard, who served in the Korean War and died in 2013. He was a chaplain of the American Legion for 29 years, and Kamb-Studdard said that a lot of the veterans buried nearby are his friends.

“He understood the challenges that some of the veterans faced before, during and after their service,” she said.

Nearby, Jerri Ahrens handed red roses cut from her backyard to her sons, Matthew and Blake, to place on the headstone of her uncle Jack D. Wisdom, a Vietnam veteran.

“Just pausing to remember them is important,” she said.

Ahrens and her sons visited the cemetery with her mother, Carol Mason, all of Eudora. Ahrens said she wanted her sons, ages 6 and 2, to understand the meaning of the holiday.

“To make sure they know that Memorial Day is a time of remembrance and not just a day off,” she said.

The Lawrence branch of the American Legion, Dorsey-Liberty Post 14, held its Memorial Day ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday at its facility, 3408 W. 6th St. Originally planned for Oak Hill, the event was moved indoors because of pending weather conditions, according to the group’s website.

Kamb-Studdard said her husband looked forward to the celebration every year. As a chaplain, he gave the opening and closing prayers. The visit brings a lot to mind, she said.

“It’s memories of John and his devotion to the military and his belief in helping veterans,” Kamb-Studdard said.

Also walking through the rows of flags and flowers were Meredith Alder and her three children. Alder said her 7-year-old daughter, Autumn, asked her Monday morning what Memorial Day represented. After Alder explained it, her daughter asked if they could visit the cemetery.

Alder, who is originally from Idaho, said she doesn’t have any family buried at Oak Hill, but she wanted to teach her children the meaning of the day.

“I just think it’s important for our kids to understand the sacrifices (that have) been made by lots of people before them,” she said, “so that they have the freedoms and the rights that they have.”