Seaside honors fallen soldiers during Memorial Day ceremony

SEASIDE, Calif. (KION) -Several gathered in Seaside to pay their respects to soldiers who served our country.

"Everybody wants a happy memorial day. It's not a happy Memorial Day. The guys who never came back," said Tom Gibson who lives in Marina.

Kris and Tom from Marina came to honor their family that has served and be among others who value the meaning of this day.

"We live in an amazing country and we forget many times how what a blessing it is for all the freedoms that we have and what the price was to get that," said Kris Gibson who lives in Marina.

Several people could be seen across the veteran's cemetery in Seaside dropping off flowers and flags on tombstones.

Cindy Reeves, stopped by to visit her husband who had recently passed.

"Today is extra special because I lost my husband three months ago yesterday. He served in the Air Force in the Vietnam era," said Cindy Reeves who lives in Santa Cruz.

At the ceremony, representatives for Congressman Jimmy Panetta, Senator John Laird, assembly speaker Robert Rivas and the mayor of Seaside Ian Oglesby spoke about the holiday.

"We should not only pause to remember their ultimate sacrifice, but the values for which they were defending and died for the values of true democracy, freedom, equity and justice. As a society, some of us, some of our forefathers may not have lived up to those values in the past, but our heroes that are here today, buried among us, did those we honor today die for the American values from the beginning of our founding," said Oglesby.

Memorial Day became an official federal holiday in 1968. Wounded Warrior Project says that Americans started to recognize Memorial Day in 1868. Then, it became a federal holiday in 1971.