San Rafael, CA – Local veterans organizations in Marin County, led by the Marin County United Veterans Council, will pay respects to all fallen military servicemembers during an outdoor Memorial Day ceremony Monday, May 29, in San Rafael. All are welcome.
Marin County's annual tradition of honoring fallen service members will take place at 9 a.m. Monday, May 29, in front of the the military monuments on Avenue of the Flags in San Rafael, just outside the Veterans' Memorial Auditorium. (Photo courtesy Annet Katan)One veteran in particular will be honored in the shadows of statues and memorials at 10 Avenue of the Flags, just outside the Marin County Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium. That will be Ray Mullin, the former the Marin County United Veterans Council president who died in March. Mullin, who lived most of his life in Marin, served in the U.S. Navy during and after the Vietnam War and became a respected leader of local veterans in subsequent decades.
The annual tradition of honoring servicemen and women will be hosted by U.S. Army veteran Glenn Ross, current president of the United Veterans Council and a U.S. Army Persian Gulf War veteran. There will be first-come-first-served seating on folding chairs and portable toilets close by. Plenty of parking is available at the adjacent Marin Center lot.
The event will start at 9 a.m. with patriotic songs played by the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District Non-Marching Band and the singing voice of Alicia Elkins. The United Veterans Council will have a color guard and flag raisers, and local elected officials and veterans group representatives will be recognized. After ceremonial wreaths are laid at the foot of statues, “Taps” will be played to conclude the ceremony.
Coffee and doughnuts will be served at the conclusion of the ceremony.
Marin County has approximately 11,000 living military veterans, with service records ranging from World War II to the current conflicts around the globe. Names of local military members who gave their lives on duty are etched into the statues along Avenue of the Flags on the Marin County Civic Center campus.
The Marin County Veterans Services office, located at 10 North San Pedro Road in San Rafael, is led by Sean Stephens, a U.S. Army veteran who served four combat tours in Afghanistan after joining the Army at the oldest age possible, 38. Stephens’ office staff assists military vets who might need assistance with filling out forms to receive benefits they’ve earned. Vets can get connected to mental health services, medical services, court-related services, social services, tuition aid at local colleges, pensions, military discounts, and death benefits. The Veterans Services Office is overseen by the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services.