It’s been more than 10 years since Tracy Taylor’s son, Army Private First Class Kenneth J. Iwasinski,was killed in action in Iraq at age 22.

Next to his birthday and the anniversary of his death, Memorial Day is one of the hardest days of the year for her. But she draws comfort from other Gold Star families, whose loved ones have died in military service to the country.

On Friday afternoon, they gathered at the state’s official memorial to Gold Star families in Fall River for a service ahead of Memorial Day.

“We are busy trying to keep our children’s names out there,’’ she said by telephone Friday. “It’s good to memorialize. It just weighs heavy on the heart.’’

Gold Star families from across Massachusetts attended the event, which Taylor called “absolutely beautiful.’’

The B.M.C. Durfee High School band performed musical selections, and the school chorus sang America the Beautiful.

Veterans and family members spoke, along with public officials.

“Every day for these families is Memorial Day,’’ Francisco Urena, the state’s secretary of veterans’ services, said in a telephone interview. “A day doesn’t go by that these families don’t feel that loss and that sense of sacrifice. We make a point to recognize that we don’t have to wait until Memorial Day to let these families know that we remember.’’

Iwasinski was living in West Springfield when he enlisted in the Army. Like so many others, her son enlisted in the Army out of a sense of duty to country, Taylor said.

They “voluntarily signed those papers to go to war, because that’s who they are,’’ she said. “They want to make sure their families are safe and [protect] the freedoms and liberties that we have.’’

He was a member of the Second Infantry Division’s Second Brigade Combat Team, based in Fort Carson, Colo. He was killed on Oct. 14, 2007, when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle during combat operations, the Globe reported at the time.

Gold Star families are often each other’s only true support system, Taylor said.

“We all have our own distinct stories . . . but it all has a common ground,’’ she said. “We can just hug each other and know that we understand what’s going on. The unspoken words with an embrace – we know it.’’

At Friday’s ceremony, Taylor met a woman whose son was killed earlier this year. She was attending her first Gold Star event.

“She was very emotional and all I did was hold her,’’ Taylor said.

Laney Ruckstuhl can be reached at laney.ruckstuhl@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @laneyruckstuhl.