Bay-Area Gold Star Moms lift each other up on Memorial Day

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. - As communities across the Bay Area continue to honor Memorial Day, an observance was held in Hillsborough County on Sunday. 

That's where an emotionally moving collection of Gold Star Flags honored the faces of more than 30 sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, and spouses who gave their lives in service to the United States.

One by one, Jeanette Nazario read the names of Hillsborough County's fallen heroes. One of them, her own son's. 

"My son Zachary Charles Moore died back in 2017," Nazario recalled. "I'll never forget being given the gold star pin during my son's funeral when they handed me the folded flag." 

READ: Goldstar mother remembers her son's sacrifice on Memorial Day Weekend

Losing Zachary left a permanent hole in her heart, but she eventually found comfort in a group of local Gold Star mothers who tragically felt that same unthinkable pain. 

"The American Gold Star Mothers organization is a veterans service organization, so we honor our children by serving the veterans in our community," Nazario explained.

For Michelle Carey, joining the Tampa Bay chapter of the national organization was a vital part of her healing process after losing her son and moving to Florida. 

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"I lost my son on August 26, 2004. His name is Corporal Barton R. Humlhanz," Carey said. "He was a U.S. Marine, and he was killed in Iraq during a second deployment, and when I got involved with the organization, that's when I really started to heal." 

While they miss their children every day, they work together to keep their names alive while lifting each other up at the same time.