The ceremony began with the Pensacola Boy Scout Flag Retirement Ceremony. The Boy Scouts honorably retired numerous flags, one at a time, to express admiration and reverence for our nation's symbol of freedom. The guest speaker for the event, retired Marine Corps Colonel Tony Gain, spoke to a respectful crowd in front of Wall South. "For most of us,” said Gain, "we only see the staggering numbers of souls on that wall. For those who survived, and the family members of those who did not, we see faces. We feel the pain that these numbers created. They were our friends, our fathers, husbands, wives, sons, and daughters. As someone said, ‘there is no noble wars, just noble warriors.’"

Two attending organizations, the Vietnam/ Legacy Motorcycle Club and the Daughters of the American Revolution, placed gorgeous wreaths at Wall South. Marines then rendered a 21-gun salute that was followed by a Marine bugler playing Taps. The ceremony also honored John Ochs, the Memorial Park’s treasurer, who recently passed away at the age of 69.

Mike Bates of WEBY Radio said in regards to the afternoon’s observance, "With so many Americans too ignorant or too apathetic to observe

Memorial Day as anything more than a day off work, it is always heartwarming to see the Pensacola community honor our military and our nation.”

The Veteran’s Memorial Park Foundation would like to thank everyone who attended the ceremony to honor our fallen Heroes. We would also like to thank the organizations that helped make the service so phenomenal:

Colonel Tony Gain, USMC Ret. (Guest Speaker)

Bill Campbell, Vietnam Combat Veteran (Wall South Recital)

Boy Scouts of America (Flag Retirement Ceremony)

Creative Learning Academy (Essay Contest)

Boogie, Inc (Sponsored Event Audio)

Marines of MATSG-21 & 23 (Color Guard, Rifle Detail, Taps Bugler)

Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association (Ride in Support)

WEAR-TV (News Coverage)

Pensacola News Journal (News Coverage)

WUWF (News Coverage)

NAS Pensacola (Navy Choir)

WALMART Stores (Contest Prize)

Pensacola MESS Hall (Contest Prize)

We would also like to thank Mike Bates of 1330 WEBY for allowing us to use the presented photos.

To assist in our ongoing efforts to memorialize our beloved Veterans, please consider making a donation here: http://bit.ly/VMPFBFriend