TAMPA, Fla. — Once a soldier, always a soldier is a term often heard in the military community, but there is one more: leave no soldier behind.
At Memorial Park Cemetery in Tampa, ABC Action News reporter Michael Paluska witnessed firsthand how deep that creed goes.
WATCH: Honoring the Fallen: Community gravestone cleanup brings out patriots
More than 50 people walked the rows of the cemetery searching for gravestones that belonged to veterans. Spray bottles were in hand, and they went to work.
Mentors in the Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) for Hillsborough County were well represented, along with Tampa Firefighters Local 754, Belmont Heights, Friends of Memorial Park Cemetery, Kappa League, teenagers from the Junior ROTC from Robinson High School, and leaders with the City of Tampa.
"We have over 100 years worth of rich history of veterans in this cemetery," Lindsey Baraty, the Cemetery Coordinator with the City of Tampa, said.
Baraty said there are an estimated 500 headstones to clean.
"You'll be able to clean all 500 today?" Paluska asked.
"That's what we're going to do with this, with all the help we have here today, we will get these clean," she said.
Everyone had the same mission and respect for fallen from children to teenagers, veterans, and future soldiers.
"These are my brothers, brothers in arms," Judge Michael Scionti said. Scionti presides over the Hillsborough County VTC.
In 2024, Paluskaprofiled Judge Scionti and the success of the treatment court. Like the motto in court, the same stands true in this cemetery.
"This is exactly what we're doing today, leaving no veteran behind, keeping their memory alive, making sure that they remain respected in their memories, and we just try to carry it forward for all the lost brothers and sisters that have fought before us," Judge Scionti said. "There are so many that came before us to do the same thing and show honor and respect for the service, and I think we all would expect that there will be fellow service members that will do the same for us one day."
Future generations plan to carry on this tradition, like Robinson High School Senior Alexis Philippi. A few months after graduating from high school, she will join the Army in September.
"My father's in the military. He's been in for about 20 years now. My whole life, we moved around, and I absolutely loved it, and I want to follow in his footsteps," Philippi said.
"I bet your dad's really proud?" Paluska said.
"Yeah, I think so," she responded with a big smile.
“It's a little nerve-wracking.”
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