The National City Veterans and Military Families Advisory Committee voted to hold a Memorial Day event on May 31 at the Wall of Honor. The committee decided on that Monday in part so the event lands on the holiday proper as well as to better accommodate larger Memorial Day events being held elsewhere throughout the county.
The ceremonial event will likely be partially conducted at the Wall of Honor with some portions of the event connected virtually. Attendees will likely be able to view a live streamed online version in an effort to encourage physical distancing during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
National City Management Analyst Lauren Maxilom, who facilitated the committee meeting said the event is not an official city event so city services may be limited in support.
“Given COVID, we would not be encouraging large numbers of individuals to gather at the site. I think it would be fairly easy for us to livestream it through the city’s FB account in order to have a wider reach for those members who can’t meet us in person,” Maxilom said.
Committee Member Armando Telles said the event could serve as something of an educational event to reach out to the National City community and share insight about veterans experiences, including veteran children and families.
“I’d like to be able to invite our Gold Star mothers Association to this event. For those who are not familiar, they are mothers of children who served and never returned home like Specialist Eric Ramirez who was 31, a National City resident assigned to 670th Military Police Company and was killed by a rocket-propelled grenade on Feb. 12, 2004,” Telles said.
It’s for these local unsung heroes, Telles said, that the city should have a memorial and recognition ceremony, invite Gold Star Mothers not just from National City but also from all over San Diego county to speak in person at the event.
“I would encourage us to be very particular with who we invite as a speaker on this day. It is not Veterans day, it is for those who lost loved ones and who had loved ones who never returned. This day of memory is for them,” Telles said.
He also suggested including groups such as local Reserve Officer Training Corps Color or Honor Guards at the event as well as reading names of fallen service members along with basic birth and death information, perhaps with photos displayed.
“It sounds like it’s getting awfully complicated,” Ferrill said, and asked where Telles would be obtaining photos and how he sees the event being structured.
Telles said he has already been in contact with Gold Star Mothers and if an in-person appearance is not practical for some people or components then a virtual appearance might be an option.
“This will be the first time in my memory that National City will be hosting an event like this. We need to highlight our memorial more often,” Ferrill said.
The Veterans and Military Families Advisory Committee serves in an advisory capacity to the city council of the city of National City and makes recommendations to the city council with respect to veterans and military service member-related issues, ceremonies, and other activities that occur within National City.
Visit www.nationalcityca.gov for more information on the Veterans Committee and other National City committees.
