POULSBO — It was hard not to miss Muriel Williams in the crowd of 75 that gathered in Poulsbo’s Waterfront Park Monday afternoon to remember Memorial Day.

Dressed in a patriotic ensemble replete with an American flag silk scarf, Williams has been a regular at these ceremonies since 1922.

“I attended my first one when I was 5 with my grandmother when the services were held at the old Martha & Mary,” Williams recalled as she reflected on how much the day has changed over the years.

Veterans of World War I stood proud with their medals and other honors and were greeted warmly by the crowds, she remembered with a smile.

“I’ve attended every one of these since then, except for when I wasn’t living here, but I came back to my roots,” Williams said as she thought about the veterans from the different wars throughout the years, including the ongoing Iraq war, which she opposes.

“Now, I’m at odds with my government over this war but I still support the troops,” she firmly stated as she finished her preparations for the ceremonies just before noon.

At noon, the American flag in Waterfront Park was raised from half-staff to full staff by members of American Legion Post 245 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2463 as Color Guards from the Air Force, Marines and Army stood proudly along side.

Once the flag was raised and a prayer was said, Vietnam veteran Fred Scheffler stood before the crowd and lamented the loss of meaning of Memorial Day in today’s society.

“Memorial Day is the unofficial beginning of summer and millions will flock to the beaches and spark up the grill and cook millions of hot dogs but nothing we can do or say can add up to the sacrifices of the millions who died for us,” Scheffler proclaimed.

While the origin of the day may be open to interpretation and varying claims from different cities, the purpose of the day is indisputable, he said.

Some people think the day was meant to honor all those who have served their country, not just those who gave their lives, he explained.

“It was a means for binding up wounds and remembering those who gave everything they had,” Scheffler recounted, his filling with emotion as he closed by reflecting on his service in Vietnam.

One soldier in particular comes to mind every Memorial Day and that soldier was not an infantryman or an artillery man, he was a medic: Doc Hapschmidt, Scheffler recalled as tears filled his eyes.

“I’ve never known a hero but I’ve known men who did heroic deeds,” he reminisced. “They did what they did not their country or for the flag but for their comrades.”

Those fallen soldiers represent the best in all Americans and society as a whole, Scheffler said.

“Whatever the right or wrong of the war nothing can diminish the right of what they did,” he said. “Doc was one of those.”