BATON ROUGE — City leaders held a special ceremony at the Goodwood Library this morning ahead of Memorial Day, opening a gallery honoring service members who died defending the country.

Mayor Sid Edwards opened the "Valor Gallery," which displays pictures and biographies of men and women who died overseas.

City leaders said remembering their sacrifice is especially important as the country approaches its 250th anniversary.

Elena Branzaru, chairwoman of the Mayor's Advisory Council on Veterans Affairs, spoke to why the timing matters.

"This year we're going to be 250 years old and what a rejoicing time, but I also think about the men and women that fought to get us to where we are at today, those that fought for the freedom before we were even a country, those that helped us form a country and have our freedom and there are still people fighting today for our freedoms," Branzaru said.

The six service members killed in an Iranian drone strike at a Kuwait military base were also honored in the gallery.