On Memorial Day, the City of Moreno Valley honored the generations of Americans who selflessly sacrificed their lives for the freedoms we all treasure.
Looking out into the crowd gathered at our Memorial Day Ceremony, I was proud to see so many Moreno Valley residents – young and old – there to honor the fallen.
While we paid them tribute to the military men and women who gave their lives we were reminded that they are forever united by their love of country. It was their love of country that drew them away from their loved ones and their lives into wars from which they would never return.
And it is their love of country that continues to inspire future generations of our military men and women to fight to protect our precious freedoms.
Colonel Matthew J. Burger, commander of the 452nd Air Mobility Wing, Air Force Reserve Command at March Air Reserve Base delivered the keynote address, honoring the past, present and future of our military.
With more than 4,000 personnel, nine C-17As and 14 KC-1135Rs Col. Burger oversees the Air Force Reserve’s largest wing, directing the support of worldwide airlift and air refueling operations and ensuring that the sacrifices made by generations of military men and women and their loved ones were not in vain.
Vista Heights Middle School Student Speaker Malia Hernandez delivered a touching speech that reminded us that as we pay our respects to the dead we must also remember that it is the burden of the living to rededicate ourselves to the ideals for which these brave men and women laid down their lives.
We honored Tuskegee Airman Lieutenant Colonel Harlan Leonard, Jr. (Ret.), USAF whose love of his country ran deeper than the racism he fought to fight for his country. Lt. Col. Leonard retired with 22 years of active duty service with the aeronautical rating of Command Pilot with 3,366 hours of flying time.
And we welcomed new banners to our City honoring Moreno Valley residents who are currently serving in our military branches. You can find the locations of these banners here. https://mapservices.moval.org/banners
Thank you to our speakers, the Blue Eagles Total Force Honor Guard, Sandals Church Vocalist Bernard Dafney, the Moreno Valley Master Chorale, and the Knights of Columbus for helping us provide a fitting tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.