EXETER, R.I. (WPRI) — Dozens of Rhode Islanders gathered at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery Monday afternoon to pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The entire cemetery was awash with red, white and blue as thousands of American flags marked the headstones of the state's veterans who have been laid to rest.

"I've never seen so many flags in my life as I have here," Cindy Smith said. "It's awesome."

Smith attended the state's 50th annual Memorial Day ceremony to honor her late brother, who passed away earlier this year.

"My brother was buried here about two months ago," Smith said. "I come here every Saturday to visit him and put new flowers out."

Catharine Weidemann also visited the cemetery to honor her late brother, who died in 2006.

"My brother joined the Army before he even graduated high school," Weidemann said. "He enlisted at 17. He turned 18 in boot camp."

"He always wanted to join," she continued. "He knew that's where he was going [after graduation]. He loved it."

Weidemann said her brother, Michael Weidemann, was on his second tour of Iraq when an explosive device detonated near his tactical vehicle.

"My oldest [child] is now 17. I was pregnant with him when my brother died," Weidemann recalled. "He'll never meet him. My daughters will also never get to meet my brother."

Weidemann said it's important to her that her children understand the sacrifices that servicemembers, like her brother, have made for their freedom.

"They need to understand why they can go outside, why they can have a cookout and why they can play," she said.

Troop 2 East Greenwich's Jack Romano told 12 News his scouts spent their Saturday placing the flags on the graves of veterans at the cemetery.

Romano said the troop itself has volunteered to do so nearly every year since the state's first ceremony. Though it's a massive undertaking for the volunteers, Romano said the results are amazing.

"It is quite the cemetery," Romano said. "It's truly unique."

Romano said he saw some similar names while flagging graves throughout the cemetery this past weekend, including relatives, friends and colleagues.

"My aunt was the third one I [recognized] while I was flagging," he said. "You start to walk around and they're scattered about."

The importance of Memorial Day isn't lost on Romano, whose 100-year-old father, John Romano, served in the U.S. Navy throughout World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

"It is because of these veterans that this country has the freedoms that it does," Romano said.

More than 25,000 Rhode Island veterans, as well as their spouses and eligible dependents, are buried at the cemetery, which first opened in 1976.

R.I. National Guard Chief Warrant Officer Robert Hewett told 12 News he was impressed by the number of Rhode Islanders who gave up their Monday afternoons to honor the fallen.

"As long as we keep remembering those who have given themselves to this country, it's a good thing," Hewett said.