GRINNELL, Iowa (AP) — A Grinnell family is spending the long weekend in Washington, D.C., at a national seminar and grief camp for those coping with the loss of a member of the armed forces. Kaanan Mackey says the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, known as TAPS, will give her five children, ages 6 to 16, a chance to meet others with similar experiences.

Mackey’s husband, Matthew, died in 2010 from injuries following an accident on his way home from a drill weekend at Camp Dodge in Johnston. He served in the Marine Corps and Iowa Army National Guard. The Des Moines Register reports the family on Memorial Day usually places flags on veterans’ graves at the Grinnell cemetery. This year they will place stones on graves at Arlington National Cemetery.