OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Early Sunday morning, Jessica Ellison and her father put up 13 signs along West Center Road near 148th Street.
That's one for each servicemember lost during the terrorist attack at an Afghanistan airport when the U.S. withdrew from the country in August 2021.
The sign in front honors the boyfriend she lost,Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan Page, then 23.
On Ellison's second Memorial Day without him, she said the loss hits her a little bit more than the average day.
"But it almost feels like every day still is Memorial Day for me," she said.
Last year, she put up a tribute for Page. This year, she honored all 13.
"Memorial Day is about Daegen for me," she said. "But it's also about hundreds of thousands of others. And I thought what a better way than to have the 13 out here to have everybody that drives by to see them, and remember them for a moment."
Ellison said honoring them helps with the grieving process.
"Being able to continue sharing their stories and keep their names out there helps a lot," she said.
She said she can hear honks of support from her yard as cars drive by the tribute.
In the morning, she visited Page's grave and attended a ceremony at Omaha National Cemetery.
"It was filled with people and you could feel all the love," she said of the ceremony at the cemetery.
