A Boeing F/A -18 Superhornet flew over hundreds of people wearing red, white and blue. The roaring sound from the engine of the aircraft as it passed over the American flag brought out loud cheers and claps from the patriotic audience. The annual tradition honored the fallen American soldiers at the 36th annual Memorial Day Ceremony hosted by Santa Clarita Valley Veterans Memorial Inc.
in partnership with Eternal Valley Memorial Park and Mortuary on Monday morning. This year’s theme was “Women in the Military,” and dignitaries including Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, Councilwoman Laurene Weste, Councilwoman Marsha McLean, and Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, were in attendance among the many people paying their respects and honoring those who lost their lives serving in the United States military.
The event began with a bagpipe-led color guard provided by the Ronald Reagan Marine Corps League, Vietnam Veterans of America No. 355. who also conducted the retiring of the colors.
An invocation was conducted by Pastor Jerry Cook from the Freedom Way Church. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Sgt. Bob Good, a Vietnam veteran, and the national anthem performed by the Saugus High School choir.
The ceremony honored 10,000 women who served in Vietnam and many of them were nurses. Eight of those women died because of their service and were honored on the front-page cover of the event’s program. Keynote speaker Major Heidi Heinrick, a local resident and U.
S Army ve.