Thousands turned out on Memorial Day at Bay Pines National Cemetery to pay their respects for fallen heroes.

The cemetery annually holds the largest Memorial Day observance in the Bay area. About 3,000 people were expected for the event, which included speakers, performances and a playing of taps. The keynote speaker was 37-year veteran Sgt. Major of the Army (ret.) Jack L. Tilley.

Volunteers placed American flags on 35,000 graves prior to today's event.

Bay Pines National Cemetery is located on the grounds of the Veterans Administration Center. The cemetery was dedicated and officially opened in 1933 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012 as part of the Bay Pines Veterans Administration Home and Hospital Historic District.

New memorial honors fallen Pinellas military members

Pinellas leaders unveiled a new monument to honor the local men and women who served during the Gulf War era.

The Battlefield Cross monument depicts a pair of combat boots, a helmet and a rifle. A plaque also lists the names of the Pinellas servicemen and women who were killed during war in the last 15 years. 

County commissioners agreed to create the memorial two years ago, after a request from a Gold Star mom who lost her son in Afghanistan.

"The least we can do as a county is to recognize these brave men and women," said Pinellas Commissioner Kenneth Welch.

"This monument means a lot to me personally and to the Gold Star families in this area and there are many because we have a place to come, a quiet place, to be close to our sons and daughters," said America Gold Star Mother's Tampa Bay Chapter President Toni Gross.

The memorial is located inside War Veterans' Memorial Park near Bay Pines VA Hospital in Seminole. The county paid close to $7,000 for the monument.