Paying tribute to friends they've lost

By CARLOS VILLATORO, Register Staff Writer

A gentle wind rustled the leaves of trees towering above the many gravestones at Veterans Home of California's cemetery Monday morning. Down below, a crowd of veterans, motorcycle-club members, politicians and families honored the 5,100 brave men and women who lie in the cemetery -- and the thousands of individuals around the nation who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Memorial Day at the Vet's Home is a patriotic, emotional affair for many of the veterans who live there.

"Around here, we are all veterans," said Barton Buechner, deputy administrator at the Vet's Home. "We do a lot of remembering every day. A lot of the memories are pretty fresh."

Buechner said that most veterans don't want to forget their friends who have died in the war and said "it's a very deep and meaningful thing."

"The hardest thing for a veteran who has served (during a war) is to think that just by the grace of God that they are here," he said. "They could have died."

David Harris, who served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, was one of the lucky who lived through the experience and is haunted by the memories of friends who have perished. Harris was drafted into the Air Force in 1968 and was stationed in Vietnam at an air base not far from Da Nang.

"It was scary," he said. "I had lost a friend. My base kept getting hit by rockets."

Attending Monday's Memorial Day service was his way of honoring his fallen comrade, he said. The 200 or so people who gathered at the cemetery shared Harris' sentiments.

"Those of us who are here today are here for those who are not here," said Gary Lieberstein, Napa County District Attorney. "May we never forget what they have done. Those of us who are here today are blessed with life and it's important that we celebrate the lives of those who have given so much."

"Let us not forget how precious and costly freedom is," Napa County Supervisor Mark Luce told the crowd. "There is no greater love than a man laying down his life for a friend."

Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, told the crowd "Our duty is very simple. It is honor, respect and gratitude."

Memorial Day has roots in the Civil War, said David Salopek, Chair of the Allied Council. The holiday is set aside to remember those who have died while serving in the U.S. military. It was a general named John Logan who advocated for a day to remember the fallen. The first official Decoration Day, which evolved into Memorial Day, was celebrated on May 30, 1868.

Monday's graveside service kicked off Memorial Day events throughout the day at the Vet's Home. Veterans were treated to barbecue lunches and a country-music concert featuring Kim Kelly, Joni Morris and Doug Adamz.

Napa Valley Register Copyright © 2009