Local resident Lally Bates was invited to and attended a ceremony commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice.

Bates estimated that he was among about 2,000 people, including 500 veterans like himself, at the ceremony on Saturday at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

“It makes you know that you are appreciated,” Bates said about the ceremony, which included a traditional wreath ceremony, Taps, a moment of silence, presentation of colors, playing of the National Anthem, invocation, a keynote presentation and playing of service songs.

The ceremony wasn’t the first time Bates has visited the memorial. He was present along with then-president George H.W. Bush for a groundbreaking in June 1992, and he attended a dedication led by then-president Bill Clinton in July 1995.

This time, Bates was joined by his son Mickey and grandsons Brandon and Jarrad.

The family attended a parade the night of July 25 at the U.S. Marine Corps barracks and a New York Mets-Washington Nationals baseball game.

But the trip’s focus was the ceremony.

“Looking back, as we gather…in Washington, D.C. and in communities around the nation and the world to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended formal hostilities on the Korean peninsula, we must also pause to reflect upon the sacrifice we have asked of our men and women in uniform since the beginning of our Republic,” wrote Walter Sharp, retired general and Honorary Chair of the Department of Defense 60th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration Committee, in a program from the ceremony. “In doing so, we are again reminded that freedom is not free.”