The theme for 2024, ‘The Homecoming ‘, was chosen to deeply resonate with the experiences of our service members. It reflects on the poignant moments when they come home after training, return home after deploying overseas, and finally return home to their resting place. This theme was a collective tribute to their journeys and sacrifices.

The Special guest speaker was Navy Veteran Nicole Uchida, Speech Writer for the Secretary of the Navy and graduate of Troy High School. Uchida served as a surface warfare officer for 10 years in the Navy, working on various warships. A complete biography of Ms. Uchida can be found at http://www.avmafullerton.org.

Marilyn Harris said at the city council on June 4, “On behalf of Allen Stubblefield, our new President from the American Veterans Memorial Association, I’ve come to thank you for both your attendance and participation in the Memorial Day ceremony over at Loma Vista Memorial Park.

“I have some certificates for everybody, and if I’ve missed anybody, please let me know. It was a great success for us. It was a kind of a do-over for us to start from scratch with how we would do that and how we would do it going forward. That day it meant a lot. I don’t think we’ve ever had that many come.”

The program began at 10 a.m. and was free to attend. It was sponsored by the nonprofit American Veterans Memorial Association, the City of Fullerton, and Loma Vista Memorial Park. Members of the public and all veterans and their families were invited to attend. Volunteers placed American Flags on the final resting places of over 4,400 veterans. See photos and story at http://www.avmafullerton.org.