Continuing a local tradition of honoring Memorial Day, a section of Freedom Boulevard and area cemeteries were lined with over 300 flags Monday, thanks to the effort of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1716 and of the American Legion Post 121.
Local cemeteries were also festooned with wind-driven flags throughout the day, as scores of people cleaned up gravesites, planted flags, set out flowers and reflected on those that served in the U.S. military.
Esther and Stan Jesse of Watsonville joined that tradition with a visit to Pajaro Valley Memorial Park to tidy up the graves of her parents, U.S. Navy Lt. Edward Johnson (1906-1969), and Siafulei Siliga Johnson (1912-2003).
“He served aboard the Indianapolis and was stationed in Hawaii,” she said. “He was aboard the ship when Pearl Harbor was attacked. I was very young then, but I remember seeing the Japanese planes going overhead. This is our tradition to come here and pay our respects. Our country needs to continue to honor those that served.”
Memorial Day was first named Decoration Day to honor the fallen from the Civil War. After WWII, it became a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
While the VFW set out flags along Freedom Boulevard, the American Legion raised flags at Pioneer Cemetery and Pajaro Valley Memorial Park.
