“I know the true meaning of loss in combat,” retired U.S. Navy Command Master Chief Joe Ciokon told a crowd of hundreds who gathered at the USS Midway Saturday.

They might have come from different generations, but veterans of World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and the War on Terror came together to share stories of heroism, survival, sacrifice and remembrance.

During the ceremony, they tossed four wreaths, symbolizing the four major American wars of the last 75 years. “We remember them with events like this, what sacrifice and service is. That’s the way we honor their memory is to talk about what they did,”