MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Community members gathered Saturday to honor the Gold Star Memorial at Lakewood Ranch Library in Manatee County.
The Veterans Services and Gardeners Out East Garden Club, along with the public, met to remember our fallen heroes and their families.
A Manatee County family was honored as part of the dedication.
Stefenie Hernandez lost her son Patrick L. Lay II in August 2011.
It's a call no family wants to receive, but an act of service that Hernandez knows will never be forgotten.
"As a mom, I'm extremely proud of him and his service of giving his life and for this to be recognized in our county,” she said.
Her son was an Army Specialist who died in August 2011 in Afghanistan. He was an infantryman with the 10th Mountain Division.
"I understood a call to duty for him because he had always wanted to make a difference in this world,” she said.
Four other soldiers also died with him after an improvised explosive device destroyed their vehicle.
Manatee County honored Lay and his family with a dedication for the Gold Star Memorial marker at Lakewood Ranch Library that serves as a reminder to those families who have lost a loved one during active duty.
"When the national anthem plays, I cast my gaze down, and I try to hide my eyes as floods of memories overwhelm me as I am reminded and swear in loyalty to a country that cost my son his life,” she said during the dedication.
Her son grew up in Bradenton and was part of the first graduating class of Braden River High School. She says her son was loving and selfless, that he always wanted to serve and protect.
Stefenie says tributes like this help her family heal.
"I tell you, despite the pain my family has endured and sacrifices many of our military families make on a daily basis, this country is worth every drop of bloodshed and tear cried,” she said.
She says the Gold Star Memorial gives people in the community a way to honor our fallen heroes, and for Stefanie, it's a way to heal a little bit more.
"One of the scriptures that I used on his marker was 'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.' He was willing to do that,” she said.
Stefenie says she has seen the American flag in many ways — waving in the sky, over her son's casket, and folded in her arms. It's A service to our country that will always be remembered.
According to Manatee County, there are only 47 Gold Star Memorial markers, and the one at the Lakewood Ranch Library is the ninth one in Florida.
To learn more about the Hernandez family and Patrick L. Lay II click here.