By LINDA CHION KENNEY
Gathering to remember, lest we never forget marks the month of May for Americans who pay tribute to the men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, at home and abroad, in the line of duty.
This month’s solemn remembrances include Hillsborough County’s 28th annual Memorial Day Observance on May 25 and, a week earlier, Carry The Load – Tampa, billed as “a month-long movement honoring the sacrifices of our military, veterans, first responders and their families.”
Memorial Day is a solemn day of remembrance, with ceremonies on tap throughout Hillsborough County.
The location for both the May 25 and May 18 events is Veterans Memorial Park & Rear Admiral LeRoy Collings Jr. Veterans Museum in Tampa at 3602 U.S. Highway 301.
Both events are listed on the website for the Veterans Council of Hillsborough County, which notes as well the 11th annual Special Memorial Service on tap for May 24 at America Legion “U.S.S Tampa” Post 5 in Tampa at 3810 W. Kennedy Blvd.
This special memorial is for those who have lost a Veteran or first responder to suicide. Noting that more than 22 Veterans die by suicide every day, the nonprofit advocates for the mental wellness of Veterans and their families, military sexual trauma survivors, families or Veterans who lost a Veteran to suicide and for legislation to assist Veterans and family members in getting relief. For more, email info@vetscounselingvets.org/.
To mark the official day of remembrance, Hillsborough County schools are closed Memorial Day, which this year is Monday, May 26. Online is a registry posted by the American Battle Monuments Commission, which asks that on May 26, Americans “honor the courage, sacrifice and enduring legacy of the men and women who gave their lives in service to their country.”
The commission registers those buried and memorialized at the commission’s World War I and World War II overseas military cemeteries, along with those names on the Walls of the Missing at the East Coast Memorial, West Coast Memorial and Honolulu Memorial. The registry does not include soldiers repatriated to the U.S. for burial after dying overseas in the World Wars.
Veterans Memorial Park & Rear Admiral LeRoy Collings Jr. Veterans Museum in Tampa is at 3602 U.S. Highway 301.
Meanwhile, an American flag soaring more than 150 feet over the entrance to Veterans Memorial Park is set for the Sunday, May 25th observance, with a 10 a.m. kickoff. In view also will be “Garden of Gold” tribute flags for fallen service members, as Gold Star family members, whose loved ones have died in service, “ask that Americans reflect on the true meaning of the holiday, honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
The observance is set to include as well remarks by Col. Jeff J. Mrazik, commander, 6th Operations Group, MacDill Air Force Base and retired U.S. Army Col. Alfred “Al” Carter, chief of staff, Florida Dept. of Veteran Affairs. On tap as well are on-site resources for Veterans and military families; a rifle salute and Taps, featuring Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) members; and refreshments. For more, contact Hillsborough County Consumer and Veterans Services, 813-635-8316.
A week earlier at Veterans Memorial Park, on May 17, starting at 8 a.m., attendees are asked to “walk and gather as a community to reflect, connect and show our support for our nation’s heroes.” Food, inspirational speakers and a walk to honor the fallen are on tap for the family-friendly event.
Founded in 2011 as a grassroots effort by Veteran U.S. Navy SEALs, Clint Bruce and Stephen Holley, the nationwide Carry The Load nonprofit aims “to preserve the sanctity of Memorial Day through community gatherings and storytelling to unite Americans in appreciation for the sacrifices made by a few who carried the load for all.”
Linda Chion Kenney photos
This larger-than-life flag will fly at a ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park & Rear Admiral LeRoy Collings Jr. Veterans Museum.
Online storyboard tributes at www.CarryTheLoad.org/, as of pre-dawn Monday, include uploads for 34 soldiers from Florida, including two from Hillsborough County. Remembered are U.S. Army Sgt. Bryan Christian Luckey, out of Tampa Bay, who died in Iraq at age 26 on June 9, 2006, and Pvt. 1st Class Paul O.Cuzzupe II, Plant City, a U.S. Army medic who, at age 23, died in Afghanistan on Aug. 8, 2010.
A 35th storyboard posted in the Florida search is in salute to the 28 U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps teammates lost while flying with the Blue Angels. As noted, “their sacrifice is not forgotten, and they live on in the current team.” As noted, “Once a Blue Angel, Always a Blue Angel.” Established in 1946, the mission of the Blue Angels, known also as the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, is “to showcase the teamwork and professionalism of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps by inspiring a culture of excellence and service to country through flight demonstrations and community outreach.”