Families of fallen service members and the things they keep to preserve memories

Family members of fallen service members share the items they've held onto that hold sentimental value and what the Memorial Day holiday means to them.
Some people look forward to the shopping sales, the long weekend or the unofficial start of summer marked by Memorial Day.

But the families of fallen service members find particular importance and meaning in the holiday.

Formerly known as Decoration Day, Americans once gathered at cemeteries to decorate the graves of military members. Jim Freel, a Marine Corps veteran who served and lost his brother during World War II, said the holiday is not the same.

"When we were kids, everybody quit for Memorial Day, and it was a family affair. You visited every gravesite that included any member of your family, and they usually had a speaker at a bandstand in about every town," Freel said. "I don't think it means as much now."