English Brig. Gen. Hugh B. Monro, the deputy commanding general of Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq, walks through Habbaniyah Royal Air Force Cemetery reading the names of some of the Servicemembers who are buried there.

This small piece of land is the Habbaniyah Royal Air Force Cemetery, and the occasion is Remembrance Day. American, Iraqi, British and Australian service members participated, as is the tradition in the United Kingdom and Australia, with a minute of silence and laying of poppy wreaths.

The purpose is to honor and remember service members who’ve fallen in battle, said Scottish Brig. Gen. Hugh B. Monro, deputy commanding general, Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq.

The red poppy was immortalized in John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields,” and has held a deep semblance ever since. McCrae, a Canadian brigade surgeon, wrote about the sudden growth of red poppies in Flanders, Belgium, after a multitude of fighters fell and were subsequently laid to rest there.

The poppy wreaths made their first appearance in 1918. Saturday’s participants marked 88 years of tradition by laying three more: one from the British command, one from the Australian and one from the Royal Air Force Habbaniyah Association.

In 1919 England’s King George V was the first to request the moments of silence saying, “in perfect stillness, the thoughts of everyone may be concentrated on reverent remembrance of the glorious dead."

This Remembrance Day ceremony held special meaning because it took place at Habbaniyah Royal Air Force Cemetery, where 289 British and Commonwealth service members, women and children were laid to rest.

The cemetery had fallen into disrepair over the years, but U.S. Air Force personnel worked with other services and civilians to restore it over the last five months.

“The cleanup of this site began in July. When we first got here we knew that this was a project we wanted to work on, to make this cemetery a place that would honor those buried here,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Sharyn McWhorter, senior advisor to Regional Support Unit Command.

The ceremony ended with “The Last Post” and the reading of “Flanders Fields.” Similar to “Taps, “The Last Post” signifies the end of the duty day on British military installations. Here, it played to signify the end of service for those buried in the cemetery McWhorter said.

“To have been a part of this ceremony today was truly moving. We are here on Remembrance Day walking amongst the graves of those who gave their lives for freedom. We are standing on living history,” Monro said.

Remembrance Day is a chance to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for what they believed.  Probably best said by King George V in 1919, it’s a time to remember “the glorious dead.”