JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In Jacksonville, several groups came together to honor those who have served on this Memorial Day.
The Memorial Park Association and the city hosted their annual free concert and picnic, attracting hundreds to the park.
Music filled the air for the free concert event as red, white and blue filled Memorial Park.
“As a navy town, as a military city and now a Purple Heart city, it’s incredible,” District 7 council member Jimmy Peluso said. “These are individuals that took time out of their day to come to one of our most beautiful parks, in this incredible weather, to honor those that served.”
And while the tunes were what drew many out to the event, it was what surrounded it that had some up and exploring.
Nearly 500 American flags flew around the venue, each bearing a name to honor local heroes. Charlie Askey, a Navy veteran, served for nearly 30 years.
“There’s a lot of folks that aren’t here today so that we could be,” Askey said.
With each name, there is a story.
And among the hundreds of names, there is one story Rebecca Sale knows well.
Her great uncle, Captain Everett King served in World War II.
He was shot down over a small town called Clairefontaine. His name is memorialized at the town’s war memorial.
And his name is a part of the “Flags for Heroes” campaign by the Riverside Rotary Club.
“It’s just really special,” Sale said. “It’s amazing to see their names on the flags. And I hope they’re looking down and that they’re proud that we’re out here memorializing them and just memorializing everyone who served our country because freedom certainly is not free.”
And while many kids spent the evening running around and playing in the park, the meaning of the day isn’t missed by Sale’s 9-year-old son James.
“It feels heartwarming,” James said. “Knowing that they did something that I would never step foot into that takes some courage.”
