Thousands gather at Bay Pines National Cemetery to honor fallen heroes on Memorial Day

Remembering our fallen heroes

More than a thousand Gold Star family members, veterans and their loved ones, and community members gathered at Bay Pines National Cemetery Monday to honor fallen service members on Memorial Day. FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia reports.

BAY PINES, Fla. - More than a thousand Gold Star family members, veterans and their loved ones, and community members gathered at Bay Pines National Cemetery Monday to honor fallen service members on Memorial Day.

Emotional keynote address

This year, the annual ceremony’s keynote speaker was Bay Area resident Carlos del Castillo, who is also a Gold Star father — "a group of people no one voluntarily joins," he said.

Carlos’ son, Dimitri del Castillo, a West Point graduate and U.S. Army Ranger, was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2011. Despite being under attack, Dimitri used his radio to coordinate support for his fellow wounded soldiers when he was killed by enemy fire. 

Army Ranger remembered for heroism

What they're saying:

"I love this country very much. I love my son very much. I'm extremely proud of the nation he chose to defend," an emotional Carlos del Castillo said.

Carlos noted that events like this offer a space for Gold Star families to support one another through an unspoken bond.

"It's comforting to see them because we already know each other, and we share a common language, a common understanding. We don't have to explain things to each other. We know that there's nothing we can say to each other that is going to go back in time and make that horrible experience go away," Carlos del Castillo said.

Military honors and tributes

Dig deeper:

Monday’s tribute featured the presentation of colors by the MacDill Air Force Base Color Guard and the three-round volley by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard.

"It's about reflecting. It's about remembrance. It’s about honoring those that served," Bay Pines VA Medical Center Executive Director David VanMeter said. "It is about honoring those that gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect our way of life here."

During his ceremony remarks, VanMeter encouraged attendees to walk among the 35,000 American flags marking the veterans' final resting places, and to take a moment to reflect on their sacrifices.

"I think that the cookouts and going to the beach — it's all nice to be with family," military spouse Ruby Aunspaugh, who attended Monday’s ceremony, told FOX 13. "But it's still important to remember this day for what it really is."