DALLAS — Service, sacrifice and serenity: That is what comes to mind when Valerie Zamarippa visits the DFW National Cemetery.
She quietly places a rose on her son’s grave every year.
“It’s crazy to come here and see all the different lots and how beautiful it actually is. It’s a beautiful sight, knowing they are resting in peaces,” says Zamarippa.
Valerie’s son, Patrick, was one of the five officers killed on July 7, 2016, during an ambush in downtown Dallas. He also served in the Navy.
There is video of Patrick Zamarippa on that fateful night listening to a Rangers game when gunfire erupted. You see him jump out of his car and run towards it.
“Patrick wasn’t afraid. Patrick ran for what he was trained for,” said Valerie Zamarippa.
Throughout the day on Monday, his friends and fellow officers showed up to pay their respects.
“It makes me so happy that they come and do that. He impacted so many people,” said Zamarippa.
His former partner who was there on the night he was killed was among those who remembered him this Memorial Day.
“Your world changes forever,” said Cpl. Tammi Macaj of the Dallas Police Department.
As the tears flowed, the families at the cemetery said for them this is more than just a holiday.
It’s a day to remember those who gave everything to serve.