PORT ST LUCIE, FL -- It's a position Ginny Luther never expected to be in...a grieving mother whose son died much too soon.
He died a year ago while stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. Like Thursday's events, he was tragically gunned down by a fellow soldier.
"The shock and awe of it happening is beyond words," Luther said. "I'm numb today."
Luther and the families of several local soldiers who paid the ultimate price, were given special recognition during a moving Veterans Day ceremony Friday.
Luther sat next to four other women...all of whom are mothers of soldiers; some still living, some killed in action.
"It's a humbling experience to be here," said Luther's husband, Jack Luther. "You realize you're a part of something so much bigger than you."
The ceremony in front of the St. Lucie Medical Center was moving, poignant and sad.
All of the regular traditions were performed, the national anthem, gun salute, and taps.
But for many in the crowd, like Pearl Harbor Veteran Arnhold Schwichtenberg, the ceremony was almost too much to bear.
"It's a great country we live in," Schwichtenberg said. "They gave their sons and husbands."
Port St. Lucie didn't always have this event to honor its veterans.
It was the creation of one of the hospital's own employees, Maggie Casterlin, a former military wife herself who decided something was needed.
"This is our sixth year and it started because we didn't have a flag," Casterlin said. "Each year it's just gotten bigger and bigger."
The crowd was perhaps most moved when all of the mothers honored today were given a special wreath to remember their children.
For Ginny Luther it helps her heal, knowing her community recognizes her sacrifice.
"In memory of the families that are going through it, it makes it even more memorable for us," Luther said.
