While many Americans mark Memorial Day with a day off of work, a trip to the pool or a family cookout, the holiday means something deeper. It is a day to honor members of America's military service who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

That's the message members of the Manheim Veterans of Foreign Wars Cyrus R. Peters Memorial Post 5956 and its Auxiliary want to convey. The group will organize a parade and hold a memorial service to remember and honor our nation's fallen on Monday, May 27.

The parade will begin at Manheim's Veterans Memorial Park by the Manheim Central High School football stadium at 10 a.m. It will process down High Street to the Square, north on Main Street, and then east on Gramby Street back to the park.

After the parade, there will be a service at the new Manheim Veterans Memorial that will include a guest speaker, recitations and music by the Manheim Central High School band as well as a local piper band. The ceremony will conclude with the playing of taps.

Lt. Col. Matthew R. Emerson, commander of the 1st Battalion, 107th Field Artillery Regiment from the Pennsylvania National Guard's 28th Infantry Division, will be the guest speaker. A Pennsylvania native and a graduate of Shippensburg University, Emerson served on active duty before joining the Guard and has deployed on missions overseas.

To honor contributions from members of the community and to help keep history alive, a different fallen hero from Manheim is highlighted during every ceremony. This year, Pvt. 1st Class Irvin W. Barto Jr. will be honored. Irvin was killed in action on Feb. 9, 1945, while serving with a U.S. Army tank destroyer unit in Germany.

When selecting the veteran to recognize, VFW members do extensive research. William King, who is the parade marshal and a retired U.S. Army first sergeant, learned that Irvin was one of seven Barto brothers to serve during World War II and the only one who did not return home. He is buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery in Hamm, Luxembourg.

King said that in the early years of the war, Irvin was employed at the local asbestos factory and probably could have avoided military service because he worked in an essential industry. "But Irvin followed in the footsteps of his five older brothers," King stated. "I believe that he enlisted out of a sense of duty to his country."

Although Memorial Day pays tribute to the men and women who died serving in the U.S. armed forces, Craig Fisher, commander of VFW Post 5956 and a retired U.S. Army sergeant, noted that it is a meaningful day for all veterans, and it offers a good opportunity for people to honor the service of all past and present military members. He has also extended a special invitation to members of the Barto family to participate in this remembrance of their relative.

In addition to promoting veterans and veteran causes, Manheim's Cyrus R. Peters Memorial VFW Post 5956 and Auxiliary support Manheim Central sports and education, make donations to local charitable organizations and conduct service projects in the area. For more information, search for the post on Facebook.