On this date, American flags hung from utility poles on a country road. The smell of barbecue filled the air as two veterans' groups sold plates of chicken and pulled pork. The Emblem Club sold desserts, and tables and chairs were set out hours early for a Memorial Day concert.
There were stories about going to college because the military paid for it, and grandparents who had come over from Norway. They were given land in North Dakota and called "soddies" because they lived in sod houses—there were no trees or stone on the plains.