Hollister
– For many Hollister residents, the three-day weekend was an
excuse to escape to the beach or fire up the grill.
Hollister – For many Hollister residents, the three-day weekend was an excuse to escape to the beach or fire up the grill.
But for those who have fought in the military service or lost someone while they were fighting for their country, Memorial Day has a much deeper meaning.
Hollister veterans, along with around 75 people from the community, came together Monday to honor men and women who died during military service for their country.
During the brief service held at the Veterans Memorial Building, several veterans spoke out, thanking those who had lost their lives during their service.
“Memorial Day is about paying respect for those comrades that didn’t make it back. They’re in our hearts,” said Hollister resident Ron Sanchez, who served during the Vietnam War.
For Alex Gibson, 86, Memorial Day is also a time to remember those he fought alongside during World War II.
Every year he puts his flag out at his San Juan Bautista home. He takes the day to reflect upon his own service to his country, and remember those he fought with, as well as their families.
“I think about people that I knew and soldiered with,” Gibson said. “I was lucky enough to get back, and they did not, so I think of them in reverence.”
Gibson said Memorial Day can be hard. Over the years, he has tried to block out many of his memories from his service during World War II, limiting his stories to fun and light anecdotes that he tells his children. But Memorial Day often brings the darker memories flooding back – and the emotions associated along with them, he said.
Sanchez, 60, said the holiday can also be a difficult time for him, but remembering and talking about his service also helps with the healing.
“It can be very heartwarming just to think of those who were with me at the time. It brings a tear to your eye, but that’s life,” Sanchez said.
He said it is helpful to meet with other veterans to discuss their memories of combat and service.
“It’s good to let the pressure out. Just let it out and then move on,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez serves as the junior vice commander for the Hollister Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Besides thinking of wars past, many veterans and Hollister residents also took Memorial Day as an opportunity to think about current conflicts, with thoughts turning to those soldiers currently fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The crowd gathered at the Veterans Memorial Building held a collective moment of silence in honor of those currently overseas, before two trumpets played taps.
“Hopefully it doesn’t last too much longer so we can see our men and women come home,” Gibson said.
