Dozens of people gathered at Veterans Memorial Plaza on Monday to remember the true purpose of Memorial Day.

"When I think about Memorial Day or Memorial Day weekend, I think about our fallen heroes," Major Asha Castleberry said.

The remembrance ceremony was hosted by the city of Yonkers.

Several key leaders gave remarks at the event, like Mayor Mike Spano.

State Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins took the podium to talk about the holiday's history.

"Memorial Day started after the Civil War, that division, and it's continued every single year because freedom isn't free," Stewart-Cousins said.

Several veterans were also in attendance on Monday.

"I never miss this," one veteran said.

A group of Girl Scouts gave the veterans gifts to thank them for their service.

Several veterans said their time in the military isn't always easy to talk about.

"We were fighting for the longest time to keep away from each other because it's upsetting," Veteran Earl Headley said.

"There's a lot of people, a lot of anxiety, a lot of PTSD," veteran Phil Armstrong said.

Although tough, pushing through the pain of the event was a way for veteran Clifford Washington III to pay respect to the men and women who lost their lives in the military.

"They put their life on the line for this country and we really don't get the respect that we deserve," Washington III said.