Keynote speaker Ret. U.S. Army Col. Shay Talley-Bradley, who was on active duty for a decade and then spent 19 years on reserve duty, reflected on her grief and stress as a service member. She conducted several operational deployments to Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Israel before moving to the headquarters for the 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade in Giebelstadt, Germany, where she served as Officer-in-Charge for Land, Schools and Taskings.

“To all of you today, I want to share with you that on this Memorial Day, and for all of those to come, I celebrate their memory,” she said. “I mourn their loss, and I truly thank them for their service. I am an American soldier.”

The ceremony began with the Ocoee Police Department Honor Guard presenting the colors, followed by resident Sherri Gladney singing the national anthem.

The procession continued to the Withers-Maguire House, where a commemorative wreath was placed on the city’s Memorial Wall, inscribed with the names of Ocoee residents who sacrificed their lives in service. Ocoee High School student Marcus Jiao played Taps as the Honor Guard raised the flag.

District 3 Commissioner Richard Firstner, District 2 Commissioner Rosemary Wilsen and Mayor Johnson read the names of each fallen soldier. 

Wilsen reflected on the importance of hosting such events for the community. 

“To me, it makes a community when people are able to come together,” she said. “For whatever reason, we come together for the honor, for the memory. We come together as a group, and that’s so important.”