Memorial Day Report

This morning the HolyCoast clan drove up to Fillmore, CA to attend a Memorial Day service at Bardsdale Cemetary which featured my father-in-law as guest speaker. He's a decorated WWII veteran (Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart) and had been invited to give his views on the current meaning of Memorial Day and how it should be celebrated.

The event was a real slice of Americana, and I fear a vanishing slice of Americana. Looking at the aging crowd and the aging celebrants such as the honor guard and others, I couldn't help but wonder if there's another generation that will be at events like this in a few years. Here are some photos of the event.

The featured guest and my family prior to the start of the service:


A local Boy Scout troop and a couple of honor guard members raise the flag:

Former PFC Roy Jennings (my father-in-law) spoke for about 25 minutes. My wife served as microphone stand since it was a little breezy and Roy didn't think he'd be able to handle his notes and mic at the same time.

The honor guard presented a traditional memorial wreath:


The honor guard included a seven man rifle team which fired a 21 gun salute. I'm surprised this picture came out because I must have jumped 10 feet when they fired the first volley:


Following the service I snapped a picture of Roy with a old truck that had been part of the "Great Race" on the History Channel. Roy appeared on the History Channel a couple of years ago on the series "Shootout!" which told the story of the battle in which he was wounded.

I don't have the text of Roy's speech, but I will paraphrase his closing remarks to the crowd:

"Thank you for being here. You are the cream of the crop. You gave up a trip to the mountains or a day at the beach to come here and honor the veterans, and I thank you very much."