Memorial Day Salute To America's Heroes Over Miami Beach: Photos

MIAMI BEACH, FL — America's heroes came roaring over the sizzling sands of South Beach with heart-pounding maneuvers by each of the military branches plus the U.S. Coast Guard in a Miami-style salute this Memorial Day weekend that combined Art Deco with a burst of patriotism.

The Navy's Blue Angels, the Army's Golden Knights aerial team and the Black Daggers Parachute Demonstration Team of the Army Special Operations Command were among the featured units represented in dizzying feats performed in and out of airplanes. See also Flo Rida Turns Miami Beach Into 'My House': Photos

"The jumps all weekend were fabulous," explained Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christopher Wilkerson of Special Forces Command, whose Black Daggers are based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was one of two featured parachutists who unfurled a large American flag during an early evening jump on Sunday.

The Miami Beach air show has become an annual event each Memorial Day, which is celebrated on the last Monday in May. It's a time when the nation pauses to honor the men and women of the U.S. military who sacrificed their lives in service to their country and the cause of freedom.

Sgt. First Class Michael Moore is a new member of the Black Daggers but he has been in the military for more than a decade.

"Everybody in my family has served in some way or another," he said. "I come here to represent them an my heritage in the military."

Sunday's show also culminated with a special night-pyro parachute demonstration by the Golden Knights along with a music program headlined by Miami area native Flo Rida before ending the night with a fireworks extravaganza. Patch will feature an exclusive photo gallery from Flo Rida's performance on Tuesday.

For Wilkerson, who has had eight combat deployments, Memorial Day is bittersweet.

"I've been in the Army 25 years," he told Patch. "I've lost several buddies overseas. This is their day. Normally, I just go and have a beer, maybe a little quiet time and look through some old photos. I always remember my buddies."