Military members who died while serving their country were honored and remembered during a Bells Across America ceremony held Sept. 27. Bells rung worldwide during this third annual event held at NAS Corpus Christi’s Protestant Chapel.

“Today as we ring the bell to honor and remember our fallen service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice, we know they put the United States and liberty above self,” said Michael Hunter, Corpus Christi councilman who was the guest speaker.

“The pain of losing a family member never goes away,” he added. “You, our Gold Star Families, also paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. You lost loved ones who died fighting to defend our nation and its ideals.

“Today we honor not the deaths of those family members, but their lives, and the way they lived.”

“There is great importance in remembering those brave warriors who have died during their active-duty service,” said RPC Michael Clayton, who opened the ceremony. “Their contributions have made lasting impacts to the strength of our great nation. We have a duty and obligation to the loved ones they have left behind in ensuring their service member’s legacy is remembered by the nation they volunteered to protect.

Names of our region’s fallen service members were read, followed by a strike of the bell. Staff Sgt. Hector De Leon, U.S. Army, read the names of the fallen Soldiers. 1st Sgt. Paul Williams, U.S. Marine Corps, read the names of the fallen Marines. AC1 Joshua Ottwell, U.S. Navy, read the names of the fallen Sailors, followed by striking the bell four times to honor those service members whose names were not called during the ceremony.

The Navy’s Gold Star Program helps surviving family members with resources to help meet immediate needs as well as sources of long-term support.