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Fluttering flags and words of praise marked Veterans Day at Eastern Florida State College on Tuesday as hundreds gathered to honor those who have served their country.

The 32nd Annual “Massing of the Colors,” which is the largest Veterans Day event on Florida’s Space Coast, included veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dr. Jim Richey, president of Eastern Florida State College, was among the speakers who thanked veterans and their families for their sacrifices in war and peace.

“As I look out into the audience, I’m reminded that veterans are our fathers and mothers, our brothers and sisters, our relatives, friends and neighbors,” said Richey.

“To them we owe the precious freedoms that we all cherish and that can never be taken for granted.”

Recalling those who have given their lives, Richey cited Abraham Lincoln, who said Americans are bound together by the “mystic cords of memory, stretching from every battlefield, and every patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone.”

He also noted that more than 800 veterans are currently studying at the college where a Veterans Resource Center is providing more services to help them in the classroom and their personal lives.

“On this Veterans Day – indeed, every day – we salute you,” said Richey.

This year’s featured service branch at the event was the U.S. Air Force. Among the speakers was Brig. Gen. Nina Armango, Commander of the 45th Space Wing and Director of the Eastern Range at Patrick Air Force Base.