Heartfelt ceremony held at Aaron Bessant Park for Memorial Day

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. ( WMBB ) – Under a white tent, dozens gathered together at Aaron Bessant Park Monday morning to give thanks.

This has become an annual tradition at the Veterans Memorial that has been growing steadily every year.

This is the 4th year of the Memorial Day event.

“I’m the one that started it. Some years we do it as a combined event with the American Legion. So that it just it’s something I felt had to be done,” said Commander of VFW Post #10555 Mary Lemburg.

The event is sponsored by members of the VFW and American Legion.

Many of those who did come out lost family members and friends throughout their years and paying their respects is one of the best ways to honor their fallen brothers and sisters.

“It’s always hard because, during my time in service, I buried eight out of my formation. So those eight are always on my mind. But on Memorial Day, we remember so many that we lost in our lifetime,” Lemburg said.

“We memorialized people who had passed to give us this life we have today. My uncle was one, my grandmother’s twin brother, and my mother used to always talk about him growing up, being such a great man, taking her to the movies, taking her shopping, and things like that. Then he went away one day to World War II and never came home. So, he is in my heart today,” said Commander of American Legion Post #402 Warren Boutchia.

They said another key aspect of the ceremony is meeting other veterans and building a camaraderie.

“Well, what happens with the veterans when we get together, we shake each other’s hands, and we realize together in our hearts that we are both proud to be here and proud of what we’ve done. And that’s what it means to my heart to meet veterans like this,” Boutchia said.

Following Arnold High School’s ROTC Color Guard’s march and a speech from the VFW Commander Mary Lemburg, Panama City Beach Mayor, Stuart Tettemer, said a few words himself.

The biggest thing he wanted to get across is the real importance of this holiday.

“It’s so easy to take a holiday and make it a day of fun and celebration. But particularly for this holiday, we need to take a moment to remember why it’s here and why we are here. We are here because of our veterans. We are here because of the fallen. If it weren’t for them, if it weren’t for their sacrifice and their sense of honor and duty, we would not have what we have today,” said Panama City Beach Mayor Stuart Tettemer.

Following his speech, Tettermer and Lemburg laid a wreath across the veterans’ memorial, followed by a prayer and taps.

American Legion Post #402 Vice Commander, Sean Fowler, urges any veterans new to the Panama City Beach area to stop by and take part in the camaraderie.

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