Marco Rubio speaks at Memorial Day ceremony at Woodlawn Cemetery

2,000 American flags placed around cemetery

CORAL GABLES, Fla. ā€“ A special ceremony was held Monday at Woodlawn Cemetery in Miami, where 2,000 American flags were placed around the cemetery ground before the service began.

Once a year, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce's Military Affairs Committee brings people together at the Coral Gables cemetery.

They dedicate the first few hours of their Memorial Day to honor veterans with a color guard parade, a wreath laying ceremony and this year, remarks from U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.

He brought along his 10-year-old son, speaking to him in the crowd, putting an emphasis on how important it is for our youth to understand the sacrifices made for them to be able to live freely today.

"I worry that Memorial Day loses its meaning," Rubio said. "It's fine that people go out and have a good time this weekend, but we should remember that the prosperity and the liberty that we have in this country was earned."

As part of the ceremony, the Miamians gave a special musical performance and there was also a 21-gun salute and some words of encouragement, memories and stories told by veterans.