Immigrant describes what Memorial Day means to her

JACKSON, Tenn. — What is a day to honor fallen soldiers to someone not from the United States?

“Originally, I was born and raised in Germany,” National Guard veteran Kristin Williams said.

That’s where she met her husband, Sgt. First Class Wesley Williams.

“He’s still in the military. He’s been in for almost 20 years,” she said. “He got deployed to Iraq and Germany, and I came back over here with him.”

She then became a paramedic in the National Guard and now works as an EMT in Jackson.

“Where I come from, we never celebrated Memorial Day,” Williams said. “So me being here, it’s the first time I’ve learned about Memorial Day and what it means.”

She says she and her family celebrate Memorial Day because they honor what those fallen soldiers did for them.

“Whoever has that empty chair in their backyard right now, they’re proud of their son, daughter, whichever family member, for what they did,” Williams said.