The Memorial Day Flag Ceremony was truly a Celebration Community event with the Celebration Garden Club, Celebration Community Choir, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts Troop 125, Osceola County Sheriff Capt Marcos Lopez, and a buglar, Kim Lenaway.
View the Ceremony Program here and the pictures here.
Lt Col Jack McLaughlin (USAF retired) led the opening, intro to the Veterans Club of Celebration Color Guard and welcomed all participants and guests. Capt Jaime Eriks (USAF retired) introduced the Garden Club of Celebration who assisted immensely with their gardening gifts.
The National Anthem, In Flanders Fields, and Armed Forces Salute was beautifully sung by the Celebration Community Chorus.
Invocation was performed by Chaplain Lt Col Rick Lane (USAF retired) with the following: “Dear Friends, honored guests, and fellow citizens. As we gather on this solemn occasion, our hearts are heavy with gratitude and remembrance. Today, we come together to honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. Let us bow our heads in reverence and reflect upon the valor of those who faced the crucible of war, who stood unwavering in the face of danger, and who gave their lives so that we may live in freedom. We remember the soldiers who charged into battle, the sailors who sailed uncharted seas, the airmen who soared through the skies, and the marines who stormed the distant shores. Their courage transcends time, and their legacy lives on. In this hallowed moment, let us also remember the families left behind: The mothers who wept; the fathers who held back their tears, and the children who grew up without a parent. Their sacrifice is immeasurable, and their resilience inspires us. May we never forget the fallen. May their names echo though the ages, etched in the granite of our memorials and engraved in our hearts. As we honor their memory, let us also renew our commitment to peace, justice, and unity. Let us strive for a world where wars are memories, where diplomacy prevails, and where the sacrifices of our heroes pave the way for a brighter future. May God bless our fallen heroes, their families, and our great nation. Amen.”
Distinguished guest Osceola County Sheriff, Capt Marcos Lopez gave the memorable speech to the crowd honoring Memorial Day.
The Memorial Day message was presented by CMSgt Salvatore Negro (USAF retired) with his heartfelt speech: “GOOD MORNING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN BOYS AND GIRLS, FELLOW VETERANS. IT IS MY HONOR TO BE SPEAKING TO YOU TODAY. WE ARE GATHERED HERE TO REMEMBER, HONOR AND CELEBRATE THE LEGACIES OF THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY. WHILE WE FEW PAUSE IN THIS ONE PARTICULAR TIME AND PLACE FOR MOURNING, WE ARE UNITED WITH GRIEF STRICKEN HEARTS IN MANY OTHER PLACES TODAY. WE KNOW THAT COUNTLESS EYES ARE FILLING WITH TEARS ELSEWHERE, AND BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS ARE LYING BEFORE STONES MARKING PRECIOUS LIVES LOST. SOME WILL STAND AROUND FRESH GRAVES WHERE GRASS HAS NOT YET COVERED THE WOUND IN THE EARTH. OTHERS WILL KNEEL AT THE BASE OF A BRILLIANT BLACK WALL IN OUR NATIONS CAPITOL, AND REACH UP TO TO TOUCH THE LETTERS INSCRIBED THERE. AS WE OBSERVE MEMORIAL DAY ON MONDAY, MAY 27TH WE DO MORE THAN SIMPLY CARRY ON A TRADITION DATING BACK TO 1866. WE ALSO FULFILL A COMMITMENT TO SOME VERY SPECIAL PEOPLE. WHO WERE THESE SPECIAL PEOPLE WE PAUSE TO HONOR AND PRAISE? THEY WERE ORDINARY HUMAN BEINGS, JUST LIKE US, BUT WHAT THEY ACCOMPLISHED WAS EXTRAORDINARY. THEY ANSWERED THE CALL TO DUTY, THEREBY GIVING US TODAY, TOMORROW AND ALL THE TOMORROWS OF OUR FUTURE. THROUGHOUT AMERICA’S HISTORY, FROM THE PATRIOTS WHO FIRED THE FIRST SHOTS IN THE REVOLUTION, TO THE FORCES DEPLOYED AROUND THE WORLD TODAY, AMERICA HAS BEEN FORTUNATE TO RELY ON CITIZENS WHO WILLINGLY SERVE, FIGHT AND DIE FOR THEIR COUNTRY. IT IS NOT FOR MONEY OR MEDALS THAT SUCH HERO’S STEP FORWARD. IT IS TO ACT OUT THEIR PATRIOTISM, PATRIOTISM BASED ON THE IDEALS ON WHICH THIS COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED, LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. COUNTING THE 6,824 WHO DIED IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, MORE THAN ONE MILLION MEN AND WOMEN HAVE DIED IN DEFENSE OF OUR COUNTRY. TOGETHER THOSE DEFENDERS OF FREEDOM SACRIFICED EVERYTHING, TO GIVE US THE WORLD WE ARE BLESSED TO ENJOY TODAY. THINK FOR A MOMENT WHAT OUR COUNTRY WOULD BE LIKE HAD THEY NOT FOUGHT AND SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES. LIFT YOUR EYES AND GAZE UP AT OLD GLORY FLYING HIGH ABOVE US. WOULD WE BE ABLE TO GATHER HERE TODAY AND REPLACE THAT FLAG WITH A NEW ONE, IF IT WEREN’T FOR THE SACRIFICES THEY MADE. BECAUSE OF THEM MORE PEOPLE EXPERIENCE LIBERTY AND FREEDOM THAN EVER BEFORE. IT WAS THOSE MEN AND WOMEN WHO PAID THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE THAT HAS GOT US TO THIS POINT. WE HAVE FACED NUMEROUS CHALLENGES FOR OVER TWO HUNDRED YEARS, AND HAVE SUCCEEDED IN BUILDING A NATION THAT STANDS AS AN EXAMPLE TO ALL FREEDOM LOVING PEOPLE. THOSE WHO WERE THE FIRST TO DEFEND OUR LIBERTY AT SUCH PLACES AS CONCORD, LEXINGTON AND BUNKER HILL, FOUGHT FOR FREEDOM WHERE THEY LIVED. THEIR HOMES WERE BURNED, THEIR CATTLE SLAUGHTERED, THEIR CROPS DESTROYED AND THEIR FAMILIES KILLED. THE WAR THEY FOUGHT WAS VERY CLOSE AND VERY PERSONAL, GIVING THEM IMMEDIATE CLARITY OF PURPOSE. IN RECENT MORE COMPLEX CONFLICTS OUR MEN AND WOMEN FIGHT IN UNFAMILIAR COUNTRIES, THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY. ALTHOUGH THE SURROUNDINGS AND THE LANGUAGE MAY BE FOREIGN, WE ARE DRAWN TO THE TROUBLED SPOTS AROUND THE WORLD BY THE SAME DESIRE, TO PROTECT OUR CHERISHED FREEDOM AND TO FOSTER FREEDOMS DREAMS FOR OTHERS. ON MEMORIAL DAY WE HONOR ALL THOSE ORDINARY PEOPLE WHO ASCENDED TO THE EXTRA ORDINARY BY PICKING UP THE TOOLS IN THE NAME OF FREEDOM. SOME DIED IN COMBAT, OTHERS FROM WOUNDS AFTERWARDS AND STILL OTHERS AFTER A TIME OF LIVING IN THE PEACE THEY FOUGHT SO HARD TO WIN. SO TODAY WE COME FACE TO FACE WITH THE COST OF HUMAN LIVES OF THE BATTLES THAT BROUGHT US HERE. EACH ONE WHO FACED THE ENEMY DOWN A RIFLE BARREL, WHO ENDURED AS A PRISONER OR STOOD GUARD DUTY FACING LONELINESS AND FEAR, THEY GAVE US THIS PRECIOUS DAY AND ALL THE DAYS OF OUR FUTURE. OUR SORROW FOR THEIR LOSS WILL NEVER DIE. WE CARRY IT WITH US CONSTANTLY. BUT IF WE REMEMBER THEM ONLY IN SORROW, WE DO THEM A DISSERVICE. THEY GAVE US THE RARE OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE IN FREEDOM, AND WE MUST MAKE GOOD USE OF THAT OPPORTUNITY. TO OUR GOLD STAR FAMILIES AND TO ALL WHO REMEMBER A FALLEN COMRADE, I KNOW THAT EACH MEMORIAL DAY BRINGS NEW WAVES OF BOTH PAIN AND PRIDE. EVERY AMERICAN MUST REPEATEDLY ENSURE THAT THOSE WHO MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE FOR AMERICA, WILL NOT HAVE DIED IN VAIN, NO NOT IN VAIN. FOR THEIR LEGACY PROUDLY FLIES ABOVE US TODAY. THE SYMBOL OF FREEDOM AND LIBERTY. MAY GOD KEEP ALL THE SOULS WHO MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE, IN THE BOSOM OF HIS HEART AND MAY HE CONTINUE TO KEEP OUR GREAT COUNTRY THE LAND OF THE FREE AND HOME OF THE BRAVE.”
The changing of the flag was beautifully done by Boy Scout and Cub Scout Troop 125 along with leading the Pledge of Allegiance.
A beautiful benediction was given by Chaplain Lt Col Rick Lane (USAF retired): “May the winds of freedom carry the memories of our fallen heroes to eternity. As we gather today, we honor their sacrifice, their courage, their love for country, and their unwavering commitment to Liberty. May their names be etched in the annals of history, not as mere statistics, but as living legacies of valor. Let us remember the faces, the laughter, and the dreams they left behind. May their families find solace in the knowledge that their loved ones’ sacrifice was not in vain. May they find strength in the shared bond of loss, knowing that a grateful nation stands with them. As we bow our heads, let us pledge to carry forward the torch of freedom. May we live lives worthy of their sacrifice. Lives that honor their memory, uphold justice, and cherish the blessings of Liberty. May God bless our fallen heroes, their families, and this great land. Amen.”
To end the Memorial Day ceremony, a heartfelt taps was played by the bugler, Kim Lenaway. Closing comments was made by Lt Col Jack McLaughlin (USAF retired) thanking everyone for participating and attending this wonderful ceremony.
To celebrate the day, a group of the Veterans Club members and families enjoyed each other’s company and lunch at the Celebration Applebees.
