COEUR d’ALENE — The path of a soldier is a difficult, challenging one, said Bill Maroney.

“It is the path of a warrior,” added Maroney, commandant of Pappy Boyington Detachment 966 of the Marine Corps League. “Today we honor and celebrate, not mourn, those warriors. God bless them all.”

About 100 people gathered Monday afternoon at the Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens to celebrate Memorial Day at a ceremony organized by Pappy Boyington Detachment 966. Flags and flowers marked all of the veterans’ graves on the grounds, each of them representing a fallen soldier with a unique story.

“But they share a common story as well,” said Jim Smith, a Hayden resident who gave the keynote speech during the ceremony. “They all stood shoulder-to-shoulder to defend freedom for all of us.”

Smith, who served with the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, told attendees the fallen soldiers being honored throughout the country on Memorial Day exemplify courage. During his tour in Vietnam, Smith flew a CH-46 helicopter and said he was honored to witness examples of courage and bravery.

“As we stand here today, on this hallowed ground, we are surrounded by greatness,” Smith added.

Echoing the earlier remarks of Maroney, Smith said the challenges and difficulties a soldier faces do not end when the conflict does. Two of Smith’s close friends, he said, lost their battle with PTSD many, many years after active duty.

“Had it not been for the sacrifice of all these brave individuals, life could look very different today,” Smith said. “Remember their sacrifice and courage. But also remember their smiles and the joy they brought to people’s lives.”

Toward the conclusion of the ceremony, the names of veterans who recently died were read aloud. After each name was read, a bell was rung once in their honor.

“We shall be guided in the cause of freedom, liberty and justice that was so dearly given by the sacrifice of our fallen brothers and sisters,” Maroney said during the closing prayer.