PS Air Museum hosts Air Fair & Flower Drop to honor the fallen for Memorial Day

Hundreds of people gathered at the Palm Springs Air Museum Sunday afternoon for the annual 'Air Fair & Flower Drop' Memorial Day ceremony. A range of aircraft took flight while one of them dropped flowers over the crowd. Each flower symbolized a fallen soldier.

Twenty-eight local families also took part in Sunday's ceremony after having lost a loved one in the line of duty.

"Each white rose was from the family so that was the local families and then we had 3,000 carnations that signified all of the fallen over the various conflicts," said Palm Springs Air Museum Vice Chairman, Fred Bell.

The event had foot, live music and military art on display from students of Coachella Valley High School

"I have a friend who had a son die in Afghanistan so I collected a red rose for him and my dad was in WWII and I just wanted to come here and support the military," said Illinois resident, Karen Foster.

Foster was in town visiting from the midwest. For her, the experience of Sunday's event hit close to home.

"I think it’s awesome. I think we need to remember- the man who spoke said that the Vietnam soldiers who came home were not recognized and I was part of the Vietnam era and that alway broke my heart because I always feel appreciative of all military and especially those who went to Vietnam. I knew men in my high school that died and I feel blessed that I can memorialize them," said Foster.

For another guest who attended the event, the ceremony was also personal.

"My grandfather served in the army and I'm now presenting him these two flowers as a memory, that is something special for him," said Cabazon resident, Elena Orozco. "Remember he served for what we have now, our freedom, our speech, everything we have now to show that they did a good job."

The Palm Springs Air Museum will host another flower drop ceremony on Monday.