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Families gather on Memorial Day to honor the fallen at Florida National Cemetery

SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. — Crowds gathered Monday for the annual Memorial Day ceremony at Florida National Cemetery.

More than 130,000 veterans and their spouses are interred on the cemetery’s more than 500 acres.

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Monday’s hour-long ceremony brought them closer to their loved ones lost who proudly served their country.

“People celebrate (with) barbecues, swimming pools, and we do that too, but we also come out here and remember the ones that are fallen for this country,” said Adel Ramirez, the brother of Purple Heart recipient Eric Ramirez.

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Adel said his family has attended the ceremony every Memorial Day since Eric died in 2004.

Eric grew up in Mount Dora and graduated from Mount Dora High School in 1991. He went on to serve in the Navy and the National Guard.

“Great guy. Loved his people. Loved his church and his country,” Eric said.

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In February 2004, Eric was killed in an enemy ambush while serving as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

He was deployed with the National Guard and was just six weeks from when he was scheduled to return from his tour to be with his wife and two children.

His son Chase was just 2 months old when his father was killed overseas.

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“I’m just happy I can carry on his legacy,” Chase said.

Monday’s ceremony was dedicated to Eric’s father, Felix Ramirez. In the years since Eric passed, he’s served as a chaplain and contributed to Memorial Day ceremonies at the cemetery.

Photos: Memorial Day 2023

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Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.