On a hot day, when many were cooling at South Florida beaches, Bob Merkel, a U.S. Marine from Hialeah, stood tall and teared up as he explained what Memorial Day means to him.
“It’s about recognizing those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and paid their lives for our freedom,” Merkel, 60, said.
Merkel, along with hundreds of young Boy Scouts, older veterans and families of those serving and the fallen, filled the bleachers at a Memorial Day ceremony at the Bergeron Rodeo Grounds arena in Davie, which marked the culmination of a town parade to honor the nation’s veterans.
Members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Space Force, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Army were recognized for their current and past service. And, Davie Mayor Judy Paul added a special recognition for the Navajo Code Talkers and the Tuskegee Airmen. “Together they played a vital role in winning the war, and they gave their lives, and we honor them today.”
Fred Ross at the Town of Davie 2026 Memorial Day Service Program on Monday, May 25, 2026.. (Cindy Krischer Goodman/Sun Sentinel)
Town council members and Broward County scoutmasters placed red, white, and blue wreaths beneath the podium to honor fallen heroes in various U.S. wars and conflicts. Servicemen and women from as far back as World War II to as recent as Operation Iraqi Freedom, placed flowers beneath crosses and a Jewish star as a symbol of remembrance.
Fred Ross, 74, of Davie, was among those who placed a flower by a cross, underscoring the gravity of what Memorial Day means to him as a former member of the U.S. Coast Guard and as a grandfather of two young men now in active service, one in the U.S. Army, the other in the Marines. He, his sons, and his grandsons all participated in the Boy Scouts, which had more than 100 young scouts and scoutmasters in uniform in attendance.
Ross served in the U.S. Coast Guard on active duty from 1970 to 1974 and has been an active volunteer from 2003 to the present.
With “You’re a Grand Old Flag” playing in the background, Ross said, “I came to support the community, the Boy Scout program, and remember my fallen brothers.”
Keynote speaker Bill Johansen, a Vietnam veteran, U.S. Marine, and a 37-year Broward County resident and volunteer, offered a big-picture look at the day’s significance.
“Today, there are more than 17 million veterans who continue to strengthen our communities that they once swore to protect. You can find them in classrooms, on the streets as police officers, firefighters, first responders, healthcare professionals, still leading, still serving, still inspiring the next generation to carry our nation forward,” Johansen said.
“Their example inspires 2.5 million members of our joint forces today who are out there right now protecting and defending our nation.”
The South Florida Council’s Scoutmasters Camporee Committee held its annual Memorial Day Parade and Service in Davie on Monday, honoring fallen military members, veterans and active-duty service personnel. (Scott Luxor/Correspondent)
Johansen noted the tremendous strength of military families who endured the loss of loved ones.
“All we can ever do for our heroes is remember them. Remember what they did. We see these soldiers in our minds as old and wise, but most of them were so very young. And they gave up two lives, the one they were living and the one they would have lived.”
Cynthia Dominique, 41, of Margate, laid a flower on a cross for the fallen and saluted alongside the service members who came to pay their respects. The only female veteran at the event, Dominique, said she joined the Army while still in high school and has been in the service for 23 years.
“It’s been an honor to support the freedoms that we enjoy,” she said. “To be here today to be able to remember my comrades, my battle buddies, who made the ultimate sacrifice is just, you know, there are no words.”
Dominique added, “The experience of a woman in any of the armed services is completely different. Not only do you have the burden of doing your job, but you also have the responsibilities of motherhood if that is a path you take, as well. And since I was also in the Reserves, there’s also your professional job, your job as a mom and wife, and then your job as a soldier.
“It’s a humbling experience, and it’s such a selfless experience for women in service,” she said.
The South Florida Council’s Scoutmasters Camporee Committee held its annual Memorial Day Parade and Service in Davie on Monday, honoring fallen military members, veterans and active-duty service personnel. (Scott Luxor/Correspondent)
Dominique also is the leader of a Heritage Girls group, a faith-based scouting troop in Coconut Creek. Her group of young women attended the ceremony. “This is our second year, so it’s been an amazing experience to be able to help mold and shape girls in their identity.”
According to Scoutmaster John Griffith, of Coral Springs, this Memorial Day ceremony is likely the 60th year of Boy Scout participation in the remembrance event. ” It’s a great opportunity for these kids to see and understand what freedom is about,” he said.
South Florida Sun Sentinel reporter Cindy Goodman can be reached at cgoodman@sunsentinel.com.
The South Florida Council’s Scoutmasters Camporee Committee held its annual Memorial Day Parade and Service in Davie on Monday, honoring fallen military members, veterans and active-duty service personnel. (Scott Luxor/Correspondent)