SLO County veterans recognized for the sacrifices they made for their country

As an estimated 225 people gathered Saturday morning to observe Veterans Day during a ceremony in Los Osos, Pastor John Tiffin of Baywood Park Community Church began his invocation with a verse from the biblical book of 1 Kings.

In that verse, the king of Israel responded to threats from the king of Syria by saying, “One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.”

Tiffin noted that in the crowd at Los Osos Valley Mortuary and Memorial Park on Saturday, there were many who had taken off their armor.

Members of all five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces stood up to be recognized in turn as the SLO County Band played anthems for the Army (The Army Goes Rolling Along), Navy (Anchors Aweigh), Air Force (The U.S. Air Force), Marine Corps (Marines’ Hymn) and Coast Guard (Semper Paratus) in succession.

“It’s a true privilege to be able to do this,” said Scott Harp, mortuary general manager.

Saturday’s proceedings also included a presentation of the colors by local Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, a speech by retired Navy Capt. Robert Christensen and the placement of several wreaths on the veterans memorial monument. A California Highway Patrol helicopter was touched down for the event, and the Estrella Warbirds performed a three-aircraft flyover.

Among those laying a wreath were former Navy petty officer third class Brent Mooney, of Arroyo Grande. Mooney lay a wreath on behalf of the U.S. Merchant Marines.

Mooney, who entered the service in September 1972, said he was there during the evacuation of Saigon in April 1975. At the time, he was serving aboard the USS Blue Ridge, a command ship that played host to several notable figures, including the U.S. ambassador to South Vietnam and the South Vietnamese vice president.

As the former capital of the Republic of Vietnam fell, Mooney said “All we saw was all the helicopters coming out.”

Mooney said he was pleased with Saturday’s ceremony and the recognition of the sacrifices made by service women and men.

“This is how we should be doing it,” he said.

This story was originally published November 11, 2017 at 3:18 PM with the headline "SLO County veterans recognized for the sacrifices they made for their country."