Hundreds gather in Atascadero to honor and remember fallen U.S. soldiers on Memorial Day
Hundreds of people gathered in Atascadero on Monday afternoon to remember and honor those who died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Some described the ceremony as remarkably larger than in years past — perhaps due to other San Luis Obispo County ceremonies being canceled due to COVID-19 precautions and restrictions.
The Memorial Day ceremony began at noon at the Faces of Freedom Veterans Memorial in southwestern Atascadero.
It started with a flyover by the Estrella Warbirds, with George Marrett of Atascadero pulling off the incredible “missing man” move in his 1945 Stinson L-5E Sentinel, a former military air ambulance.
Marrett, 85, flew in 188 combat missions during the Vietnam war.
The three-man formation — with Bob Kelly in the lead and Wayne Rice at the left wing — also flew over the Paso Robles District Cemetery, Templeton District Cemetery, Santa Margarita Cemetery, Central Coast Veterans Memorial Museum and the Los Osos Valley Memorial Park.
After the flyover, master of the ceremony, Dick Mason, introduced the colors.
Boot & Chutes, Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 982 and the Chumash Color Guard presented the flags with the Welcome Home Military Heroes Flag Line.
Soon after, local Pastor Robert Campbell led an invocation and Mason introduced some notable attendees of the ceremony — which included San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow, county Clerk-Recorder Tommy Gong, Sheriff Ian Parkinson, Atascadero Mayor Heather Moreno and county supervisors Debbie Arnold and John Peschong.
Then retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. Ray Johnson took the podium to give a speech. Johnson was one of two recipients of the Distinguished Veteran of the Year award in 2020.
He served 22 years in the Navy and did two deployments in Vietnam.
In his speech, Johnson noted the 230 names of local fallen soldiers in various wars throughout United States history on the walls of the memorial behind him.
“So many of them are friends of mine, and friends of yours,” he said.
Johnson told the stories of others who had died in combat, as well as his own story of coming close to death.
“Memorial Day remembers those, many of whom I knew, who gave the ultimate sacrifice,” he said. “For many of you, Memorial Day serves as a painful reminder of those who were never afforded the opportunity to be honored as veterans for their service to our country. We gather to honor them. Their service is the true definition of selfless service — they represent the best that America has to offer.”
Johnson finished off his speech by quoting Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” song.
Coincidentally, his speech was then followed by Marlon Varin singing that song, accompanied by Megan Rivera on the keyboard.
The duo then gave a solemn rendition of John Newton’s “Amazing Grace,” with audience members singing along to both songs.
The music was followed by a wreath presentation by the Vietnam Combat Veterans Group of the San Luis Obispo Veterans Center in honor of all fallen veterans.
Gong and his sons, Derek and Darin, then played “Taps” for the crowd, which was followed by a benediction by Campbell and a retiring of the colors.
The ceremony was attended by many North County residents, but some from San Luis Obispo and south county areas also made the drive to attend.
Charles “Chuck” Greenall and wife Lois, who have been married nearly 62 years, drove from San Luis Obispo to watch the ceremony.
Chuck served in the U.S. Army in the 82nd and 101st airborne divisions, was stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky in 1956 and 1957.
“What this day represents is it’s a memorial for not only those living but for those who have given their lives,” he said. “So as Americans, we should be proud of that.”
Greenall was accompanied by his friend Jim McEntire, a U.S. Air Force veteran.
He noted that nine of the names on the wall for the Vietnam War were high school classmates of his.
“I was right with them when we enlisted and I was so lucky,” McEntire said. “I’ll always come to these events remembering everybody — but those nine names are very special. They were real people — we were friends, we laughed and fought growing up together and they’re gone. So that’s why I come.”
This story was originally published May 31, 2021 at 2:09 PM.
