JENISON, Mich. — At Georgetown Cemetery this Memorial Day, volunteers and families gathered to make sure fallen service members are never forgotten.
The effort was part of the Travis Manion Foundation’s “Honor Project”, a nationwide initiative where volunteers place hand-crafted tokens at the gravesites of military members who gave their lives in service to the country. This year marked the first time the project was held in West Michigan.
For Michael Gwasdacus, the day carried deep personal meaning.
His nephew, Lieutenant Christopher Moskow, was killed in Afghanistan 14 years ago. Every Memorial Day serves as a reminder of the sacrifice his family continues to carry.
“They deserve at least one day that you can actually give back to them, because they gave so much for us,” Gwasdacus said.
Gwasdacus said finding the Travis Manion Foundation helped his family navigate grief after losing Christopher.
“We ran across this organization, the Travis Manion Foundation, and they honestly saved my sister and brother-in-law’s life,” he said.
Throughout the day, volunteers walked row by row through the cemetery, stopping at headstones to place tokens and say the names of fallen service members out loud.
Katie Glynn, the West Michigan chapter lead for the foundation, said the mission is rooted in remembrance.
“We know that we die twice when you take your last breath, but then when no one says your name anymore,” Glynn said.
Organizers said the project is designed to remind people that every name at the cemetery represents a life, a family, and a story.
“The freedoms that we have are because somebody else laid down their life and fought for them,” Glynn said. “We have the rights and the privileges that we have because somebody stood up and fought for them at one point.”
Fourteen-year-old Grace Glynn has volunteered with the organization for most of her life and said events like this help younger generations better understand the sacrifices made for their freedoms.
“Remembering everyone who has served and who has fought for the freedom of our country, they truly have given their lives up for a cause,” Grace Glynn said.
She said even small gestures, like placing a token at a gravesite, can carry a powerful message.
“Putting the tokens on their gravestones shows that we’re remembering them… and that they don’t deserve to be forgotten,” she said.
As volunteers continued making their way through the cemetery, each token left behind served as a reminder that every life and every sacrifice still matters.
“It's not about how much candy you got from the parade earlier today, or how many burgers and hot dogs you can put down later tonight,” Katie Glynn said. “It’s about a moment of reflection and understanding, this is what Memorial Day is about.”
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