Santa Maria Valley to honor fallen veterans over Memorial Day weekend

May 27—Groups across the Central Coast will honor Memorial Day by planting flags, holding services and remembering those who have given the ultimate sacrifice.

In Santa Maria, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall 2521 will be joined by groups like Band of Brothers, Boy Scouts and the FFA, placing flags at veterans' gravesites at the Santa Maria Cemetery on Saturday, starting at 9 a.m. Members of the public are welcome to join.

"Those of us who have served are very unique and have an affinity for those men and women who have served with us," said Mike Stadnick of the VFW. "Memorial Day, and every service, is a celebration of life and for their service to this country."

On Monday, the VFW will return to the Santa Maria Cemetery at 11 a.m. for an honor guard service and ceremony. Speaking at the event will be Air Force Col. Kris E. Barcomb. The ceremony also will honor the Castillo family who lost two relatives to war. Ishmeal Castillo was killed in action six months before the end of World War II. His brother Thomas Castillo, a Santa Maria High School graduate, was killed during the Vietnam War after earning a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

For many at the VFW, and other local veterans groups, Memorial Day is an important time to remember those we've lost.

"I was born May 30, so I never went to school on my birthday. From the time I was 7, the first thing we did on my birthday was to go to the cemetery to plant flags," Stadnick said. "I went into the military when I was 19, continuing to recognize veterans to this day."

The city will provide some chairs for the ceremony, but those in attendance are encouraged to bring their own seating.

In Orcutt, American Legion Post 534 will hold a similar event in honor of veterans at Pine Grove Cemetery, located at 1100 Stubblefield Road in Orcutt. Hot dogs also will be served.

Other events will be held up and down the coast for those traveling out of Santa Maria for the holiday weekend, including a flag line to honor fallen veterans at the Pismo Beach Pier. People will gather to hold up their American flags at 11 a.m. Monday in one of two flag lines organized by Welcome Home Military Heroes, an Arroyo Grande-based nonprofit.

Besides Memorial Day events, groups like the VFW are able to conduct services for veterans at any time of the year. For more information, contact the Santa Maria VFW at 805-925-5215.

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