Texans honor service men, women on Memorial Day

Memorial Day events in Texas

Texans spent Memorial Day honoring the service men and women who never made it home.

AUSTIN, Texas - Texans spent Memorial Day honoring the service men and women who never made it home. 

The backstory:

Monday’s ceremonies included traditional military tributes, emotional remembrances, and a triathlon through the capital city.

A symbolic missing man formation soured over Round Rock, marking a day of remembrance across Texas. At Old Settlers Park, the City of Round Rock hosted its annual Memorial Day ceremony, honoring America’s fallen service members.

It included the singing of the national anthem, a bagpipe tribute, a mayor’s wreath presentation, a traditional 21-gun salute, and an emotional moment centered around a table left empty.

"The table is round to show our everlasting concern. The cloth is white, symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call to serve. The single rose reminds us of the lives of these Americans and their loved ones and friends who kept the faith while seeking answers," Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Ross said.

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Watch live events from across the country on Memorial Day

Memorial Day 2026 ceremonies and parades honoring fallen U.S. service members will stream live nationwide on LiveNOW from FOX.

Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan said Memorial Day is also about the families left behind.

"Across our country, families carry empty seats at dinner tables, children grew up without parents, spouses carried on without the person they loved most, friends, brothers, sisters, and fellow service members still carry memories that time can never erase. Behind every name that's gone to a memorial is a story, a life filled with dreams, laughter, sacrifice, and love of country," Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan said.

U.S. Army Veteran Jay Fondren said many didn’t get to live the lives they planned because of the sacrifice.

The man who died on that ridge in Korea never got to hold his grandson. The woman killed in Afghanistan never got to see what she would become in the next 30 years. The Marine who threw himself on a grenade in Vietnam had plans, a girl, a farm that he was going to buy. All of that, gone," U.S. Army Veteran Jay Fondren said.

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Westminster was founded in 1967 and was Austin's first continuing care retirement community. More than 70 veterans call it home. FOX 7 Austin's Donny Wong and Libbi Farrow spoke to Westminster's only female veteran resident.

In Sugarland, Governor Greg Abbott was at the Memorial Day ceremony at Sugarland Memorial Park.

"Today we reaffirm our gratitude and provide our deepest respect for all who died in service to our great nation," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said. "We should honor their memory every day by living our lives in a way that is worthy of the sacrifice that they made."

In Austin, thousands started their Memorial Day before sunrise at the Ascension Seton Supertri Austin. The event started with a swim in Lady Bird Lake before cyclists took over Congress Avenue and runners finished through Butler Park and Auditorium Shores.

This year also marks 250 years since the founding of the United States, a milestone speakers said should serve as a reminder to continue honoring the sacrifices of those who served.