IN PICTURES: KEY WEST PAUSES ON MEMORIAL DAY

With flags at half-staff and fluttering in front of hundreds of gravestones, the USS Maine Memorial and the Key West Cemetery hosted the annual Memorial Day military remembrance.

More than 100 people packed the Monday morning service.

Retired veterans and active duty military, including Capt. Beth Regoli, commander of Naval Air Station Key West, spoke in honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service of their country. The Navy honor guard offered a gun salute while representatives of various veterans groups placed wreaths in front of the Maine Memorial.

The Key West Veterans Memorial Garden at Bayview Park hosted another well-attended service later the same day. The memorial garden includes Key West’s Vietnam Living Memorial in honor of those who returned from Vietnam, forever changed.  The garden also includes the Forgotten Soldier Memorial in remembrance of the more than 120 Key West African-Americans who served in a Union regiment during the Civil War.

Photos by LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly 

Mandy Miles drops stuff, breaks things and falls down more than any adult should. An award-winning writer, reporter and columnist, she's been stringing words together in Key West since 1998. "Local news is crucial," she says. "It informs and connects a community. It prompts conversation. It gets people involved, holds people accountable. The Keys Weekly takes its responsibility seriously. Our owners are raising families in Key West & Marathon. Our writers live in the communities we cover - Key West, Marathon & the Upper Keys. We respect our readers. We question our leaders. We believe in the Florida Keys community. And we like to have a good time." Mandy's married to a saintly — and handy — fishing captain, and can't imagine living anywhere else.