Orange County observes Memorial Day with tributes across 15 cities

Orange County marked Memorial Day on Monday with ceremonies, flag displays and wreath-laying events across more than 15 cities, honoring the more than 650,000 service members who have died in battle since the nation's founding.

The holiday, officially established on the last Monday in May by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968, traces its origins to post-Civil War customs of decorating fallen soldiers' graves. Voice of OC documented ceremonies in Yorba Linda, Anaheim, Fullerton, Santa Ana, Newport Beach and more than a dozen other Orange County communities.

Nick Berardino, a Combat Marine, Vietnam War veteran and president of the Veterans Alliance of Orange County, said the day's meaning runs deeper than the holiday itself. "There's no greater sacrifice any human being can make than giving their lives for their country. For us to salute that is an honor and a privilege," Berardino told Voice of OC.

He pushed back against the notion that Memorial Day is primarily a start-of-summer occasion. "It's not about going to the beach or starting your summer activities or enjoying a three-day weekend," Berardino said. "It's about those precious lives that were sacrificed for our freedom. My message is to stop for just 30 seconds, look up to the sky, and with warm hearts and souls, say: 'Thank you.'"

Berardino, slated to speak at the American Legion Post 291 event, said shared grief over military sacrifice crosses political and geographic lines. "Regardless of where you live geographically, regardless of your political party, we are one country," he said, according to Voice of OC.

The Yorba Linda ceremony featured Noria Uyematsu, a 95-year-old Korean War veteran, as keynote speaker. Newport Beach placed more than 1,700 American flags at Castaways Park, while Mission San Juan Capistrano displayed more than 400 flags and offered free admission to active military personnel, veterans and first responders.

Fullerton staged its 88th annual Avenue of Flags ceremony, and Costa Mesa held its 72nd annual observance. The Santa Ana Cemetery event carried additional historical resonance this year, coinciding with the nation's 250th anniversary — the Semiquincentennial — and the 35th anniversary of the Persian Gulf War, according to Voice of OC.

Ceremonies also took place in Anaheim, La Palma, Buena Park, Fountain Valley, Tustin, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Irvine and San Clemente, with color guards, rifle salutes, the playing of Taps and aerial flyovers marking the morning observances countywide.