(SUNMAN, Ind.) – Memorial Day isn’t just a one day holiday for Gold Star mothers like Linda Seig. 

For her, every day is Memorial Day. 

Her son, Anthony Seig, was an East Central graduate who had quite the artistic and creative side. 

“He was a bright shiny star. He could write, he could draw. He was so talented. But, the one thing most people remember about Tony is that he was a huge smart ass,” Linda laughed. 

Tony enlisted in the Army shortly after graduating high school and took that same sense of humor into the military. 

“His comrades have told me that they would have days they were dragging along, and Tony would come up with a smart ass comment and get them all laughing and motivated again,” she recalled. 

Pfc. Anthony Seig had only been deployed in Iraq for two months when he was fatally struck by enemy fire on September 9, 2006. He was just 19-years-old. 

It’s been nearly 20 years since Seig made the ultimate sacrifice and his memory is far from forgotten. 

Linda has a room in her home that is dedicated to Anthony both as a military member and civilian. 

His Purple Heart is featured next to a book that Anthony wrote as a young boy titled “There’s Dinosaurs In The Closet.”

Every Memorial Day, his family and friends gather at Linda’s Weisburg Road home for a special service conducted by the Sunman American Legion. 

“This means everything to me, especially seeing his high school buddies and friends come here every Memorial Day. It fills a huge hole in my heart and it also means so much that the Legion remembers him too,” Linda said. 

They aren’t the only ones who have never forgotten. 

At Tony’s memorial there is a set of flowers that is sent every Mother’s Day to Linda from a soldier who was near Tony when he was killed. 

Linda hopes days like Memorial Day can serve as a reminder to all Americans of how grateful we should be. 

“We need to honor those who have sacrificed their lives, and we need to take it seriously that the freedoms we have were not won easily,” she said. 

She added, “I think the message of Memorial Day is to be grateful, treasure what we have, and do the right thing. Make the sacrifices some have given to be worth it.”