Miamians honor fallen heroes on Memorial Day — gathering in Coral Gables and Miami Gardens
Miamians came together Monday to commemorate Memorial Day by honoring fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives during military service.
Coral Gables and Miami Gardens each hosted ceremonies paying homage to former residents and loved ones from their communities who died while serving their country, drawing crowds across Miami-Dade County.
Coral Gables remembered several of its fallen; a Miami Gardens luncheon celebrated Sgt. La David Johnson, a longtime Miami Gardens resident who lost his life in 2017 in southwest Niger. The daytime events ended ahead of 3 p.m., before the National Moment of Remembrance when Americans are encouraged to pause for a minute and remember those that died in service.
The federal holiday launched in 1868. While Veterans Day recognizes all U.S. veterans that completed their military contract, Memorial Day honors men and women who lost their lives while enlisted.
“When you have people who are proud of America and the opportunities that America has afforded all of us and they pour their being and essence into keeping us safe, there is no greater honor than for their elected officials and other cities and communities to honor those people, said Linda Julien, city of Miami Gardens councilwoman and sister to a member in the U.S. Air Force.
“I hope other cities and communities will follow what the city of Miami Gardens has done by honoring one of their very own who has fallen.”
Miami Gardens hosted its Sgt. La David Johnson Memorial Day luncheon at the Senior Family Center at 18330 NW 12th Ave. The event drew about 100 attendees, including Johnson’s relatives, veterans, council members and residents paying tribute to their loved ones who died while serving in the military. After a keynote speech by psychiatrist and Lt. Col. U.S. Army Reserves Delvena Thomas, attendees either danced to live music or ate one of the 180 meals of jerk chicken, fried chicken or brown stew chicken served with a side of salad and bread.
Johnson’s family gathered at one of the red, white and blue tables, including his mother, maternal grandmother, aunt, six sisters and a brother.
“We are very grateful. It’s amazing to see and to tell his story,” said Richshawnda Johnson, one of Johnson’s sisters. “[We] try to keep his legacy alive so his kids can grow up to see it. Now, unfortunately, they don’t have a father. They have to live through us to know him.”
Aside from his family who attended the ceremony, Johnson is survived by his widow and three kids.
About a 40-minute drive across town, another crowd gathered at the War Memorial Youth Center at 405 University Dr. in Coral Gables under an overcast sky. Rhonda A. Anderson, Coral Gables city commissioner, read the names of each fallen service member from the city while four Boy Scouts took turns placing carnations on top of the war memorial, which contains all the names of its fallen warriors.
The outdoor event is the eighth Memorial Day remembrance ceremony hosted by Coral Gables since 2015. A violin rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” followed the changing of the colors by the Coral Gables honor guard, in which four honor guards lined up with U.S. and Armed Forces flags.
The ceremony drew about 30 people, among them the Chinchilla family. “My wife and I wanted our two daughters to witness Memorial Day to show them a great example of how we honor those heroes,” said Tony Chinchilla. Chinchilla heard about the ceremony by searching for events in his neighborhood and was already familiar with the center.
Locals from other municipalities also decided to join. The memorial’s guest speaker, U.S. Army Col. Craig Smith, came from Doral to attend the event.
“Our teammates would not want us to remain solemn and head down,” he said. “We get together on Memorial Day, raise a glass, and we tell the good stories. We smile about the times they offered to us through their sacrifice.”
Fred Couceyro, the city’s parks and recreation director, added the event is special for Coral Gables, particularly since it gives a space and time for the community to honor their own heroes.
“The weather kept a few residents away today but we have a lot of residents that come and tell us they are thankful that we do this. A lot of families were affected 20 or 30 years ago and it still sticks with them,” said Couceyro. “They appreciate that we as a city remember. We let them know that their sacrifice was not in vain.”
This story was originally published May 30, 2022 at 9:43 PM.
