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Southwest Florida memorial for fallen soldiers

Posted at 11:47 PM, Sep 01, 2021
and last updated 2021-09-01 23:47:25-04

CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Hymns echoing off the pavilion of the Veterans Memorial Park in Cape Coral.

Folks gathered to honor those lost in Afghanistan.

“These men and woman served for us; they died for us. We need to honor them," Kimberly Hatchel, a mother of a soldier, said.

The organizer, Thor Hmielewskit, said the lives lost would be a catalyst for change.

“There were a lot of unsung heroes that flew Afghanistan to make things right. These men and women quite literally went to hell to bring people out. They should be remembered for eternity for that they did," he said.

Hatchel said the memorial is just what the community needs.

For the community to come together, it's healing for all of us," she said. "These are sad times and we need to come together and love."

Hmielewskit using the event to show service members community support.

"We still support them and that we are still here for them and we are willing to do things like this for them if something happens. Their service is very important to this country. This country wouldn’t exist without them," he said.

His main message Wednesday was civilians need to do more.

“Instead of thanking service members on social media. It does mean something, but I think it would be more significant if people actually lived it," Hmielewskit said.