San Rafael native Jarred Burr, a retired U.S. Marine, will serve a keynote speaker for Marin County’s annual Memorial Day ceremony on May 27 at the Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium.
Burr, 40, grew up in Santa Venetia neighborhood, just a few blocks away from the monuments on Avenue of the Flags outside the Marin Civic Center. He graduated from Terra Linda High School and is a decorated combat veteran.
The annual Memorial Day event, presented by the Marin County United Veterans Council, honors all fallen American servicemen and servicewomen in the line of duty with a special emphasis on Marin County’s own heroes.
The county has lost two locals in relatively recent combat actions in the Middle East. U.S. Army Spc. Jake Robert Velloza, who grew up in Inverness and graduated from Tomales High School, died in Iraq on June 9, 2009. Army Spc. Nicholas Paul Olson, who grew up in Novato and graduated from Marin Oaks High School, died in Iraq on Sept. 18, 2007.
The ceremony will feature the voice of Victoria Pereira, a soloist and senior at Marin Catholic High School, and patriotic marches played by the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District Non-Marching Band. Cadets from the House of Steel gym in San Rafael, led by Lt. Gregory Allen (USMC, Ret.), will participate as a color guard and drill team. After the indoor ceremony, wreaths will be laid at the foot of memorial statues on Avenue of the Flags. Doughnuts and coffee provided by Elks Lodge 1108 in San Rafael will be served after the outdoor events.
The free event begins with music at 9:30 a.m., and the ceremony begins at 10. For more information, contact Sean Stephens at (415) 473-6193.