A special tribute took place today at Meridian's Rock of Honor Memorial.
Thanks to one young man -- memories are being preserved for the future.
This year, a time capsule was buried. It has community and military memorabilia and will be opened in 25 years. Those behind this, say the goal is to help tell stories of our local veterans.
"His daughter. His 4-year-old daughter sent this to him, it's a letter and it says something along the lines of 'love you dad hurry home,'" Matthew Siddoway said.
Matthew helped put together this time capsule for his Eagle Scout project.
"The Rock of Honor board was looking for someone to do a time capsule,” Matthew said. “They had gathered some items and talked about it. They wanted me, an Eagle Scout, to help them, so I decided to do that as my project."
From letters and medals to flags and bibles – Matthew helped preserve these items to help tell the stories of veterans in our community.
"If we didn't have the veterans and to honor Memorial Day for them, then we wouldn't have our freedom, we wouldn't be here today," Matthew said.
John Burns is the founder of the Rock of Honor Memorial. He's been working with Matthew on the time capsule.
"I was a Boy Scout, and when I see these young men it just fills my heart, you know, they're doing something for their country, it makes me feel good," Burns said.
For Burns, it's important to have monuments dedicated to people who've served. He says it connects to him to other veterans.
"I worked in the Navy, I was a mine demolition, I was on a wooden ship in World War II and we went into mine fields before mine sweepers and made a path for mine sweepers to come in," he said.
A lot of his stuff Burns collected during his time in the Navy and his nearly 91 years is in the capsule. He says it's worth it to part ways with if it can give perspective when it's opened in 2042.
"I hope somebody picks it up one day and reads it and has the experience a little bit," Burns said.
"I want to be here to open it to see what my Eagle project has done because there are some pictures there of the Rock of Honor now and us preparing it, so it will be kind of cool to see how this has grown, how the Rock of Honor has grown," Matthew said.
The time capsule is going to be opened in 25 years from now on Memorial Day in 2042.