Menifee recognizes Memorial Day with annual ceremony

A child places a carnation on the Veterans Memorial monument at Wheatfield Park following Monday's Memorial Day ceremony. Menifee 24/7 photos: Kristen Spoon

A keynote speech from a Navy veteran, a medley of military songs honoring each branch of the Armed Forces and the laying of a wreath at the city's Veterans Memorial were highlights of the City of Menifee's Memorial Day ceremony Monday in Wheatfield Park.

Held next to the monument honoring veterans and those who died in military service, the ceremony featured a brief speech by Damion Santiago, a veteran of five years in the U.S. Navy.

"I had it easy while serving in the Seabees," Santiago (left) told the crowd. "I was never on a ship, I was never deployed. I'm no hero and I'm no warrior. I served my time and did my job.

"It always makes it hard when someone tells me, 'Thank you for your service.' Through all the years of the military, our soldiers have gone through periods of time where they were appreciated, not appreciated, then back to being appreciated again. Luckily, we find ourselves in a time where soldiers, veterans and wounded warriors are heroes. But to us who have served, we were simply doing our job."

Menifee Mayor Neil Winter (below right) addressed the crowd after asking for a moment of silence in memory of the fallen heroes.

"This is a time when we're honoring those who gave all they could on the battlefield," Winter said. "It's very impressive to do that. Not all of us can say that. Not all of us want to.

"The whole goal of this ceremony is to show honor and remembrance for this group. I'd like to read a quote from Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf: 'It doesn't take a hero to send men and women into battle. It takes a hero to be one of these women and men in battle.' Thank you to the veterans and to those who have given all."

Following Santiago's speech, Menifee City Council member Greg August and members of Boy Scout Troop 444 carried a wreath to the Veterans Memorial as local entertainer Erin Stevenson sang "Amazing Grace." Stevenson sang the national anthem earlier in the ceremony as members of Cub Scout Pack 444 and Boy Scout Troop 444 presented the colors.

After Don Sharp played Taps on a bugle, members of the Paloma Valley High School NJROTC fired three shots during a rifle volley. Three T-34 Warbird planes from the March Air Reserve Base Aero Club flew over the site as guests placed carnations on the monument.

City Council member Greg August, an Air Force veteran, placed a wreath in front of the Veterans Memorial.

Members of the Paloma Valley High School NJROTC unit fired a rifle volley during the ceremony.

Members of Cub Scout Pack 444 participated in the ceremony.

Local singer Erin Stevenson, who sang the national anthem, poses with members of VFW Post 1956.