Memorial Day is a time to honor those who died while serving our country.

And for retired St. Petersburg Assistant Police Chief Cedric Gordon, like many others around the country, today hits close to home.

Gordon's daughter Brittany was killed in 2012 while serving in Afghanistan.

"When you hear that old saying, 'Freedom is never free,' "  Cedric Gordon said. "It has a new meaning. It absolutely has a new meaning."

Gordon will spend the day with family at his daughter's gravesite - remembering her and the many other lives lost to preserve American freedom.

"There's not a day or a hour that I don't think about her," Gordon said. "That I don't miss her."

An Army intelligence Analyst, Brittany Gordon, died alongside another soldier while serving in Operating Enduring Freedom. She was 24 years old.

Cedric Gordon said sometimes it is easy for people to forget the sacrifices members of the military make. He stresses how important it is to praise the men and women who serve their country.

Almost three years after his daughter's death, Cedric Gordon often reads a poem on his wall that Brittany sent him on the Father's Day before she died:

Part of reads: "Dad, you might think I never notice the things you do for me - encouraging words you say to me - the sacrifices you make for me

"But Dad, I do see them and hear them and appreciate them. I love you very every single one. Happy Fathers Day, love Brittany."