CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - Carmichael’s Memorial Day tradition continued – much abbreviated in size – beneath the Vietnam Monument in Koobs Nature Area (Engle Road) last weekend.

Normally an occasion for big crowds, the 2020 commemoration conformed to COVID assembly restrictions. A dozen supporters (including a Boy Scout color guard) were allowed. Others were turned away at the gate but were able to watch the ceremony live-streamed on Facebook.

Iraq War veteran Matt Cecatto spoke on the value of remembrance. “As we come together in this pandemic, let’s hold together,” said the US Army Purple heart recipient. “Memorial Day is not just for veterans. It’s for families that are left behind and children who are raised without knowing what their father or mother looked like.” Veterans did not serve for years to support their battle buddies, he said. “You serve for your family, your neighbors and strangers you see in the grocery store. Young men and women who are not physically here today will always be here, as long as we recall their sacrifices. We learn in the military that you can’t do things 10 percent or even 95 percent. I’m reminded today of people who went all the way – who gave 100 percent – for their country and for people they didn’t even know.”

Carmichael rock heartthrob Todd Morgan led the depleted throng in Wood Guthrie’s folk anthem "This Land is Your Land."

Korean War veteran Bill Fellers (89) played Taps, echoed by Boy Scout bugler Stach (14). With the ringing of a bell, the 15 heroes immortalized by a Koobs Nature area plaque were named.

The young men all attended nearby La Sierra High School and died while serving in Vietnam. They are: Robert D. Anderson, Mark W. Burchard, Robert S. Bynes, Jerry Cowsert, Kenneth R. Escott, Gary R. Field, Herbert Frenzell, Frank Thornburg, Ralph Guarienti, Larry H. Morford, Thomas C. Pigg, Randall B. Rainville, Kim Richins, Jeffry Tharaldson and Robert A. Willis.