OCALA, FL (352today.com) – This Memorial Day, give your family more than a long weekend—give them a meaningful moment they’ll never forget. The Ocala/Marion County Veterans Memorial Park will host “A Legacy of Sacrifice” on May 26, 2025, at 10 a.m., honoring the lives of those who gave everything for our country and the families who still carry their memory.

It’s suggested that those wanting to attend arrive early. The Kingdom of the Sun Concert Band will begin playing at 9:30 a.m.

Dr. Matthew Cretul, Marion County’s legislative manager, will serve as the ceremony’s emcee.

“Marion County has a rich history of people who’ve sacrificed for this country, that’s something that we want to highlight, not just the men and women who gave their lives, but also the families that suffered those losses,” said Renee Coventry, Ocala Chapter of the Daughters’ of the American Revolution and a member of the Marion County veterans’ event team.

The event will feature:

  • Remarks from local leaders
  • A rifle salute by the Ocala Police Department
  • A flyover by the Humble Squadron
  • Stories shared by Marion County Board of County Commissioners Chair Kathy Bryant about two local Gold Star Families
  • An invocation and benediction from Fr. Donald Curran, a U.S. Navy veteran and pastor at Christ the King Anglican Church
  • Presentation and retirement of the colors by West Port High School JROTC

“We’ll be honoring specifically two different families who lost loved ones during different conflicts,” said Coventry. “In Marion County, we want to honor all Gold Star Families and that’s something that I know Commissioner Bryant is looking forward to as well as the rest of the Marion County veterans event team.”

Keynote speaker Brian Ploetz, 2nd vice commander of the 4th District of the Department of the Florida American Legion, will deliver “A Legacy of Sacrifice,” reflecting on America’s involvement in nine conflicts: the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm/Desert Shield, and the Global War on Terror.

The poem Decoration Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow will be read by Samuel L. Coventry, president of the Ocala Society, Children of the American Revolution.

Wreaths will be laid during the ceremony by a representative for each war, with flowers placed within the wreaths that will then be laid by Gold Star Families before the closing flyover.

“It’s really geared toward those who’ve given those lives,” said Coventry. “We may not be paying the price, but somebody is, and that’s what we want to get across to the young people.”

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