{"id":1592,"date":"2026-05-25T22:07:53","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T22:07:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=1592"},"modified":"2026-05-25T22:07:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T22:07:53","slug":"thousands-gather-at-bay-pines-national-cemetery-to-honor-fallen-heroes-on-memorial-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=1592","title":{"rendered":"Thousands gather at Bay Pines National Cemetery to honor fallen heroes on Memorial Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

BAY PINES, Fla.<\/strong> – <\/span>More than a thousand Gold Star family members, veterans and their loved ones, and community members gathered at Bay Pines National Cemetery Monday to honor fallen service members on Memorial Day.<\/p>

Read more Wander Franco criminally responsible for abuse, judge finds, but spared punishment in Dominican case<\/a><\/p>

Emotional keynote address<\/h2>

This year, the annual ceremony\u2019s\u00a0keynote speaker was Bay Area resident Carlos del Castillo, who is also a Gold Star father \u2014 “a group of people no one voluntarily joins,” he said.<\/p>

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Carlos\u2019 son, Dimitri del Castillo, a West Point graduate and U.S. Army Ranger, was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2011. Despite being under attack, Dimitri used his radio to coordinate support for his fellow wounded soldiers when he was killed by enemy fire.\u00a0<\/p>

Army Ranger remembered for heroism<\/h2>

What they’re saying:<\/p>

“I love this country very much. I love my son very much. I’m extremely proud of the nation he chose to defend,” an emotional Carlos del Castillo said.<\/p>

Carlos noted that events like this offer a space for Gold Star families to support one another through an unspoken bond.<\/p>

“<\/i>It’s comforting to see them because we already know each other, and we share a common language, a common understanding. We don’t have to explain things to each other. We know that there’s nothing we can say to each other that is going to go back in time and make that horrible experience go away,” Carlos del Castillo said.<\/p>

Read more Tampa Memorial Day ceremony: Gold Star families recognized at downtown Riverwalk<\/a><\/p>

Military honors and tributes<\/h2>

Dig deeper:<\/p>

Monday\u2019s tribute featured the presentation of colors by the MacDill Air Force Base Color Guard and the three-round volley by the Pinellas County Sheriff\u2019s Office Honor Guard.<\/p>

“It’s about reflecting. It’s about remembrance. It\u2019s about honoring those that served,” Bay Pines VA Medical Center Executive Director David VanMeter said. “It is about honoring those that gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect our way of life here.”<\/p>

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During his ceremony remarks, VanMeter encouraged attendees to walk among the 35,000 American flags marking the veterans’ final resting places, and to take a moment to reflect on their sacrifices.<\/p>

“I think that the cookouts and going to the beach \u2014 it’s all nice to be with family,” military spouse Ruby Aunspaugh, who attended Monday\u2019s ceremony, told FOX 13. “But it’s still important to remember this day for what it really is.”<\/p>

Read more 7 injured in Louisiana mass shooting, more hurt trying to escape<\/a><\/p> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More than a thousand Gold Star family members, veterans and their loved ones, and community members gathered at Bay Pines National Cemetery Monday to honor fallen service members on Memorial Day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[270,102,9,101],"tags":[271,105,11,104],"class_list":["post-1592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-holidays","category-military-may","category-pinellas-county","category-veterans","tag-holidays","tag-military-may","tag-pinellas-county","tag-veterans"],"yoast_head":"\nThousands gather at Bay Pines National Cemetery to honor fallen heroes on Memorial Day - Tampa moving journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=1592\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Thousands gather at Bay Pines National Cemetery to honor fallen heroes on Memorial Day - 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