For Memorial Day 2017, Sunset Memorial Park here in Albuquerque, New Mexico hosted a unique storytelling event honoring those U.S. servicemen and women who died in wars. The storytellers were actors who looked like green toy soldiers.

“On a day like today, for many of us it’s a day off, it’s barbecues, it’s time for family, and it is. It should be all of those things, but the reason we have all of that available to us is that there are people who gave their life for our freedoms,” said Tom Antram, CEO of the French family of companies, which includes Sunset Memorial Park.

“Today for us at Sunset, this is about memorializing those lives and telling their stories.”

The green soldier actors at the cemetery this Memorial Day related the stories of those who are buried in Sunset Memorial Park or have a connection to New Mexico.

This is the second year in a row Sunset has done this event. Last year, they weren’t certain how the public would react to coming to the cemetery for a storytelling event.

“What we heard from many of the veterans who came out and were part of the event, sitting and watching these stories being told, is that they felt honored. And for us, that was the home run,” said Antram.

Hundreds of people came to the event. Military vehicles were on display and attendees could get lunch and ice cream from food trucks on-site.

Elsewhere in the park, Flowers by Zach-Low offered patriotic arrangements for visitors to decorate the graves of loved ones. Notice the bear in this arrangement?

In the video below, listen to the Korean War story about Lt. John Koelsch. With gratitude for those who died to secure our freedoms, democracy and American ideals, and those who lived to bear the scars of war — we salute you!