San Rafael, CA – Holding true to their longstanding traditions, local military veterans in Marin County will honor the fallen on Memorial Day, May 31.
With large gatherings prohibited by state public health guidelines because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tribute will be online, just as it was a year ago. There will be no traditional gathering at the Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium in San Rafael; the County of Marin facility has been used as a mass vaccination site since December 2020.
On May 31, organizers from the Marin County United Veterans Council will continue the tradition of paying respects to those who served in the armed forces with a brief online ceremony and is inviting Marin residents to watch safely from home. The coverage begins at 10 a.m. on the council’s Facebook page and will include updates from the military memorials at 10 Avenue of the Flags, adjacent to the Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post #7816 in Novato.
Following tradition, the presentation will include an honor guard, an invocation and benediction, a traditional piper, the singing of the national anthem, a presentation of wreaths, and the playing of Taps. The hosts will be Veterans Council President Bill McNicholas, American Legion Post #37 Commander Ray Mullin, and guest speaker Brigadier General Dennis B. Edmonson of the Volunteers of America.
McNicholas said the council will limit the number of people at each location to those participating in the program. An official public gathering is not allowed at the memorials at 10 Avenue of the Flags. Anyone who wishes to visit the memorials must follow social distancing protocol set by Marin County Public Health. If a visitor is laying a wreath or otherwise spending time at the site, others are asked to stay in their cars until the other visitor leaves. Marin County Public Health urges the same precautions be taken at any other locations where commemorative gatherings have been held in the past.
“Memorial Day is a very sacred day for this country whether we are allowed to gather or not during this pandemic,” McNicholas said. “Last year we did an online ceremony, and we had a great response. This year we plan to do even better. We will miss paying tribute together and mingling with our comrades over coffee and doughnuts afterward, but this is the way it needs to be.”
As a reminder to local veterans, the Marin County Veterans Service Office – a division of the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services – helps line up financial benefits and other supportive services for veterans who qualify. Although of the office’s clients are seniors from the Vietnam War, the Korean Conflict, and World War II, there are younger vets from the Middle East conflicts or those served in peacetime who seek assistance with services.
During the pandemic, the staff at the Veterans Service Office in San Rafael is supporting veterans by phone at (415) 473-6193 and by email. The Veterans Crisis Line is 1 (800) 273-8255.