ORANGE PARK – The community gathered to pay tribute to those who served in the military for the 13th annual Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony.

Beneath the oak trees at the Veterans Memorial in Magnolia Cemetery, active-duty soldiers and veterans, military families and residents gathered to watch the laying of the wreath by Capt. Ed Turner and Vice Mayor Susana Thompson. The Historical Society also recognized deceased veterans with new pavers paid for by local donors. They replaced old, worn pavers, some bleached and weathered, with modern laser-etched pavers.

After a special flyover from the Dreamland Squadron, attendees heard from Turner, a distinguished U.S. Navy veteran with an illustrious career spanning 31 years.

He thanked veterans for their unwavering commitment to defending freedom at all costs, a sacrifice that some residents fail to realize must be made daily. Regardless, the defense of the country by the armed forces never fails to rest, Turner said.

"From the American Revolution to the current war on terror, our nation was important enough to endure long separations from families, miss the birth of their own children, freeze in sub-zero temperatures, roast in faraway deserts and possibly lose limbs or suffer from traumatic physiological damage," he said.

Turner, whose service entailed more than 4,000 flight hours and six overseas deployments, including a combat deployment on the U.S.S. Roosevelt for Operation Desert Storm, is now the National POW/MIA Executive Director at Cecil Field.

"How appropriate is it that the (National POW/MIA) Memorial is right here in Jacksonville, with support from Orange Park families (and others in the local community)," he said of the facility honoring the over 81,300 soldiers still missing since Dec. 7, 1941.

Following his powerful words, Turner and Thompson laid the wreath. Then, the First Coast Highlanders immediately broke into a stirring military set, with the orchestra of bagpipe players evoking patriotic emotions among all active-duty soldiers, veterans, families and community.

Two students – Ishara Monsivais, a sixth-grader at Orange Park Elementary, and Sophie Aranaga, an eighth-grade student at Orange Park Junior High – were honored for their award-winning essays, "What is Veterans Day."

The two were selected from a pool of essays submitted from eight local schools.

"The defense of freedom is not just for those in the military, but for each of us, both you and I. We should all share in the duty of that responsibility together. If we want to preserve our freedoms, we must put them into action," Thompson said.

The American Post No. 250 riders, who play an integral role in conveying a message of support for veterans, stood guard.