Florida Gov. Rick Scott paid tribute to a group of military veterans at a ceremony in South Florida Tuesday.
"We can never thank any of you enough for your service to our country," Scott told the group at the VFW Post in Hollywood.
Janette Chandler spent 20 years in the Navy, most recently as a command chief in Miami before she retired in 2009.
"I tell you, I've been emotional all day," Chandler said. "It means the world to me."
Chandler joined fellow veterans she considers family at the ceremony with Scott, who thanked them with medals for their service.
"I can go to sleep at night and sleep very peacefully knowing that I helped so many," Chandler said.
Solemnity carried the day, with many looking ahead to the nation's 238th anniversary of independence.
"We've got it so good here, from what our forefathers have done," retired Marine Bruce Novak said.
