Castroville Cemetery holds 25th annual Memorial Day ceremony

UPDATE 05/29/17 6:00PM: The Central Coast has a rich military history, which means it’s not hard to find a ceremony to attend on this Memorial Day. One particular ceremony had our local political figures come out and share their experiences.

The Castroville Public Cemetery is the final resting place for many Central Coast Veterans, and on this Memorial Day, the tradition of honoring those who fought and died for our country continued.

Lawrence L. Sather…Clyde Shaw.

Those are just two names of the hundreds of veterans that are buried at the Castroville Cemetery. On Monday, they were honored by those who came out for the 25th annual Avenue of Flags Ceremony.

“I’ve been coming here for a little over 20 years. One of the flags that flies is in memory of my father who died in active duty in 1967 so for our family, it’s always a day of remembrance and a day to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice,” said California State Senator, Bill Monning.

Joining Senator Bill Monning was State Assembly Member Mark Stone and Congressman Jimmy Panetta.

“This is an important one, kind of at the center of Monterey Bay. It brings people from Santa Cruz County, Monterey County, and San Benito County here to come together and pay our respects and demonstrate our service for those that have served us,” said California 20th District Congressman, Jimmy Panetta.

And for many veterans, it’s another chance to honor lost family members.

“This day i put flags on his grave up there and i put flags up there on Freedom Boulevard too, on the avenue there, so today i came here to see. I have a brother buried here. So its all about brothers that have gone before me,” said U.S. Army Veteran, Manuel Gutierrez.

“It’s not just the military, but it’s the culture that has extended from the military into our community that makes days like this so important to show our respects for what they have done,” said Panetta.

But as small as the Castroville and Moss Landing areas are, there’s a rich history of military service that spans through several generations of local families, making the annual Avenue of the Flags Ceremony so much more than just a holiday.

“This community has paid an incredible price but the legacy that’s been kept alive by the local LULAC, the League of United Latin-American Citizens and others who step up every year to organize this, i just have the greatest respect for them,” said Monning.

“It was a beautiful program. I will not miss it again,” said Gutierrez.

Congressman Jimmy Panetta, a veteran himself, expressed to me how honored he was to be part of this morning’s ceremony, saying “To help us not only remember, but to recognize the people that have gone before us, but also that our burden as Americans to serve and continue serving, not just for us, but for our children.”

ORIGINAL: A small but powerful Memorial Day ceremony was held at the Castroville Cemetery Monday morning.

This year, the 25th annual Avenue of the Flags Ceremony was called “A Day of Respect and Remembrance.”

Among those who attended and spoke included Congressman Jimmy Panetta, Senator Bill Monning, and Assembly Member Mark Stone.

KION’s Matt Sizemore will have the whole story tonight during our 6pm broadcast.