JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The City of Jacksonville added four names to the Veterans Memorial Wall at the annual Memorial Day Observance Monday to honor fallen heroes.
Calvin T. Rockward III, U.S. Army; Christian M. Tette, U.S. Army; Adam D. Pecaut, U.S. Navy; and Michael L. Jordan, U.S. Navy were among the countless number of service members honored Monday morning. The ceremony featured a series of tributes from different military branches such as the Marine Corps, The National POW, and the US Color Guard.
The free event paid tribute to the brave service members who sacrificed their lives for our freedom and served as a space for people to come together and pay homage to those sacrifices.
Service wreaths were placed in front of the Veterans Memorial Wall, which lists the names of all the Jacksonville service members who gave the greatest sacrifice for our nation. The Veterans Memorial Wall is also the second-largest memorial wall in the United States, according to the City of Jacksonville.
The Navy Band Southeast and Jacksonville Children’s Chorus also performed.
James Cowhard, a veteran who served 11-years, said the city’s strong support for veterans means everything.
“It’s one of the best things to me. I was living in Kentucky, and I moved back to Jacksonville for that purpose. You should always continue to represent and honor people who have served their life for their country,” Cowhard said. “I’m going to honor it to the day a die.”
Walter Johnson, a 20-year veteran, calls the ceremony “very inspiring,” and pledges to continue to give his all to the country and Duval County.
Both veterans, Cowhard and Johnson, wish the next generation of young people will learn to embrace the legacies of the service members because without them this land wouldn’t be free.