Triangle takes part in Memorial Day events
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Memorial Day events were held around the Triangle Monday to honor fallen service members.
At the state capital, people - including politicians, dignitaries, as well as veterans from a number of wars - came to pay their respects during a service to remember the men and woman who didn't make it home.
Ninety-year-old Sandy Mazzu, who fought in World War II, expressed his sentiment about what the day is about and when people use the phrase "Happy Memorial Day."
"It's not a happy day, but it's a day that we should celebrate because of all the different things that have gone on," he said. "We've got guys here that were from World War II all the way up to today. And they're great people."
In Cary, people chose to celebrate the holiday with a fundraiser in the name of Army Specialist Andrew Sipple, who died on Jan. 20, 2014 while deployed in Afghanistan.
"Andrew and all of our children swam on the neighborhood swim team, and they thought it was a good opportunity to bring the community together, to honor Andrew and other fallen soldiers," his mother, Beth Sipple, said.
The swimmers did as many laps as they could within five minutes, for pledged donations to TAPS - the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. The organization assists families who've lost a service member.
"So when an opportunity comes up to rally the community together, we got the whole family involved," resident Tony Atti said. "We go about our daily lives, and this is the day to remember those who are fallen. So it's an easy event for us to rally together. "
The event raised over $8,000 for the organization. Click here to learn more and donate.
