On Memorial Day we honor the men and women who have given their lives fighting for our country.
But when you're a member of a military honor guard, you carry out the meaning of Memorial Day every time you lay a fallen comrade to rest.

Last week we got to meet the American Legion Post 53 honor guard.
The volunteer veterans demonstrated what they do 70 times a year: Paying tribute to fellow patriots.

They completed their service years ago, some more than 50 years ago.
But when duty calls, they still stand at attention, uniforms crisp, gloves white, heads held high and hearts full of pride.

Omar: It's really an honorable thing to do for a veteran
Mick: here for the family
Lee: we provide the visual final salute
Robert: to pay respect to fallen comrades

They come from different branches of the military, have different war stories, but a common commitment brings them to the grave sites marked with flags.

Lee Haskins, commander of the honor guard says, "the trilogy of the veteran: duty, honor, country. That's the main reason we do it. It's a duty for us, it's an honor for us and it's for the country."

Mick Lovvik, an honor guard member says, "they served the greatest country in the world with no strings attached, they deserve to have that flag draped on their coffin and to have taps. That is their right and their honor and we honor their memory."

The 20 men and women who make up this honor guard learn how to perform the military burial ceremony, then carry it out with the precision and dignity they learned in the armed forces.

Honor Guard Commander Lee Haskins, was an Army Reservist for 24 years and says being in uniform again brings it all back. "You walk a little taller, stand a little straighter," Haskins adds.

And for Mick Lovvik, who represents the Sons of the American Legion, he didn't enlist or get drafted, but has been displaying his dedication to this mission for 9 years. "This is a way I can serve my country. By honoring all the fathers and the grandfathers every time I do a funeral, I'm not only honoring my father I'm honoring all the veterans who have served us," Lovvik says.

They remain focused. But when the bugle sounds, the stars and stripes converge into that sacred triangle and the volleys ring out, the men and women who are trained not to move, can't help but be -- moved.

Haskins says, "we all cry once in a while." Lovvik says, "the taps sends chills down my back, shakes you at the knees."
Lee Haskins says, "I have done it for friends, sometimes you get through it pretty good and sometimes you don't. It has to be done and to me it's a great honor."

For men like Omar Christianson, who was shot and wounded in the Korean War, he knows how precious life is and how precious this final farewell is for the families who sit next to the caskets. "It's unbelievable how much they appreciate it and we do too," says Christianson.

Lovvik reflects, "if you look into the widow and family's eyes you can see it." And as they stand proud, you can see they stand united through the sadness around them. Robert Basacker, the Post 53 Commander says, "we're bonded together good and that's a friendship you'll never lose."

Knowing someday, instead of carrying the load, they'll need carrying. And their friends on the honor guard will return this favor.

Omar: I know they will yes I know they will

But until then, rain or shine, heat or cold, they'll be ready. "No ifs ands or buts, I'll be there and these people are the same way," Lovvik says.

The honor guard wants people to know that any veteran can get a military burial if they were honorably discharged.
They told me it doesn't matter what branch, how long or where you served. Family members can simply request it from the funeral director.