CBS2 Tags Along With Siblings Paying Respects To Fallen Heroes At Long Island National Cemetery
WYANDANCH, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- It's never an easy task -- visiting a loved one at their grave.
On Monday, many found themselves doing just that and paying respect to others along the way.
CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis took a walk with a brother and sister visiting their father and grandparents.
Every Memorial Day, Norma Triantafillou and Robert Perez visit the Long Island National Cemetery. Together, they know exactly where they can find their grandparents' grave and their father's.
It has become a yearly tradition for them, saying hello to their family and paying respects to all who are buried here.
"It's a time to honor all of those who have died, who are dying now, who are fighting for us, all of these young men who decide to go to war," Triantafillou said.
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They both come from a long line of heroes. Their father, Santiago Perez, fought in World War II; their grandfather, Otho Webb, in World War I. Their grandmother is buried here, right next to her husband.
"The older I get, the more I think about them," Triantafillou said.
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Pictures of her father and grandfather in their military uniforms have been lost, so Triantafillou and Robert Perez cherish a photo of their parents and grandparents from 1962.
"I don't agree with a lot of things our government does, or did, but you can't blame none of these soldiers," Robert Perez said. "They did what they were supposed to do. They were told to go fight and they did and it's a shame they're not appreciated by a lot of people."
Perez was close to following in his father's and grandfather's footsteps, but instead of protecting us from afar he did so nearby by joining the NYPD.
"I feel like I cheated by not going into the military, but the Police Department called me. What was I going to do?" Perez said.
He is serving in a different way, but never forgetting the sacrifices so many others have made for our country.
There are more than 350,000 graves at the Long Island National Cemetery.
