TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — For some, Memorial Day serves as the unofficial start to summer, but for others, it’s a moment to stop and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

“This is my son. Sgt. Terry Lisk,” said Lorrie Fleming as she held up a flag with her son’s picture on it.

On June 26, 2006, Fleming’s life changed forever.

“When you see them pull up in your driveway, you can’t even imagine,” she said. “It’s very, very heartbreaking.”

Her son, Sgt. Terry Lisk was killed by a mortar attack.

“I love him and I miss him,” she explained with tears in her eyes. “I’m glad I was his mom.”

For Fleming, every day is Memorial Day.

But Sunday, she was joined by her community in Hillsborough County to take a moment to pause and honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Over 30 names were read aloud in the Garden of Gold Tribute to fallen heroes, as flags flew high at Veterans Memorial Park.

They honored those who gave their lives in service to our country.

“This is a place where you can walk by and look at all the markers,” Hillsborough County Commissioner Michael Owen said. “You can really reflect on each war, each battle where we lost men and women in war.”

Fleming hopes her neighbors and fellow community members pause to reflect on the freedoms they have, freedoms that are thanks to brave men and women like her son, Sgt. Lisk.

“My son would want them to enjoy their barbeque, their boating, or the beach, but take a moment and remember why you get to have these wonderful moments in America,” Fleming said.

“Festivals, parades, and barbeques are great, but I believe how we show our affection and love for those who laid down their lives is through our actions, what we do,” Owen said. “I think the way we do that is by preserving and protecting what they died for.”

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