ALTON, Ill. – For Memorial Day 2025, the 20^th Annual Memorial Day Sunset Ceremony was held at the Alton National Cemetery in Alton, Illinois, to remember the brave men and women who laid down their lives for our country. 

Dozens attended to hear songs, speeches and prayers to pay tribute to the sacrifice of the fallen.

“My father, who was a Vietnam veteran, served in the Navy during Vietnam; he organized this sunset ceremony, of course, at the national cemetery here in Alton,” explained one of the event organizers, Robert Baird. “Certainly, everyone knows of Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, but not a lot of folks are familiar that Alton here locally also has a national cemetery.”

Robert Baird’s father, Richard Baird, created this ceremony nearly 20 years ago, helping to preserve the cemetery and honor the legacy of the hundreds of valiant soldiers buried there. 

Unfortunately, Baird passed away in April 2025, leaving his wife and son to continue the tradition.

“I will continue to organize this and invite members from our local community here to participate in, again, recognizing America’s greatest heroes,” Robert told FOX 2.