ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND HERE IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, AMERICANS ARE PAUSING TODAY TO REMEMBER WHAT THE DAY IS ALL ABOUT, HONORING THE COURAGE AND SACRIFICE OF OUR MILITARY HEROES. THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO PUT ON THE UNIFORM TO SERVE OUR COUNTRY AND NEVER CAME BACK HOME. HUNDREDS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE IN YUBA CITY TODAY. IT’S A SPECIAL MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE THAT’S HAPPENING AND THAT’S BEEN HAPPENING FOR DECADES NOW. LET’S TAKE YOU THERE. KCRA 3’S BRITTANY HOPE IS LIVE AT THE CALVARY CHRISTIAN CENTER. THAT’S RIGHT OFF HIGHWAY 20. SO WALK US THROUGH WHAT’S GOING ON OUT THERE. BRITTANY? YEAH. GULSTAN. SO THIS IS THE 32ND ANNUAL EVENT HERE. AND IT’S REALLY KNOWN ACROSS OUR REGION. SO JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO, THERE WAS AN AMAZING FLYOVER FROM THE FOLKS AT BEALE AIR FORCE BASE. AND THAT REALLY KIND OF FINISHED THE EVENT OFF FOR THE DAY. NOW WE’RE STANDING ON THE OUTSIDE PORTION OF THIS MEMORIAL, AND I WANT YOU TO SEE KIND OF WHAT’S GOING ON OUT HERE. AND THIS IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. SO ANYONE IS ALLOWED TO COME. THERE ARE WALLS AND PANELS FILLED WITH THE NAMES OF MORE THAN 7000 MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES SERVING IN THE MILITARY SINCE NINE OVER 11. NOW, BEFORE THE FLYOVER THIS AFTERNOON, WE SPENT HOURS INSIDE WATCHING THIS TRIBUTE TO FALLEN SOLDIERS, VETERANS, AND ACTIVE DUTY MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM. THERE’S A FULL SCALE REPLICA OF THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER ON THE CENTER OF THE STAGE, AND A SIX PANEL REPLICA OF THE VIETNAM WALL WITH THE NAMES OF THE FALLEN VETERANS FROM EVERY WAR SINCE WORLD WAR TWO, WERE CALLED FORWARD AND GIVEN AN AMERICAN FLAG. THERE WERE REENACTMENTS FROM THE AFGHANISTAN AND VIETNAM WAR AS WELL. THE KEY SPEAKER TODAY IS DAVE REAVER. HE IS A PURPLE HEART RECIPIENT AND WAS BADLY INJURED IN 1969. IN THE VIETNAM WAR, HE LOST 50% OF HIS SKIN AND HAS HAD DOZENS OF OPERATIONS. I HAVE FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST THAT SAID, EVERY NEED OF MY LIFE HAS BEEN MET. THE VA HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME. THE GOVERNMENT’S BEEN GOOD TO ME, US NAVY HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME. GOD HAS CHANGED MY LIFE AND I’VE NEVER I’VE NEVER HAD A BAD DAY. I HAVE DIFFICULT DAYS, AWKWARD DAYS, PAINFUL DAYS. BUT NO DAY HAS EVER COME OUT BAD BECAUSE IT ALWAYS TURNS TO GOOD. AND COMING UP AT 6:00, YOU’LL HEAR MORE FROM HIM. HIS INCREDIBLE JOURNEY OF RECOVERY AND HOW HE HAS STAYED SO POSITIVE THROUGH THE YEARS. HE ACTUALLY FLEW HERE TODAY FROM TEXAS, BUT HE SAYS HE COMES HERE TO THIS CEREMONY AT YUBA CITY EVERY SINGLE YEAR. HE SAYS AS A VETERAN, THIS IS THE BEST PLACE IN THE COUNTRY TO RECOGNIZE MEMORIAL DAY. SO YOU’LL HEAR SOME REALLY POWERFUL STORIES FROM HIM COMING UP AT 6:00. AND WE THANK HIM. AND EVERYONE WATCHING AND LOVED ONES. A BIG THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. WE’RE LIVE IN YUBA CITY. BRITTANY HOPE, KCRA THREE NEWS. ABSOLUTELY. IT’S ALSO NICE TO HEAR ABOUT HIS FAITH JOURNEY, BUT BRITTANY, HOW LONG IS THE MEMORIAL GOING TO BE OPEN? THERE? YES. SO AGAIN IT’S OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. YOU CAN COME HERE UNTIL 9:00 TONIGHT. IF YOU GO OVER TO THE TABLES THAT ARE OVER THERE, THEY’LL ACTUALLY GIVE YOU A PIECE OF PAPER. AND ON THE PANELS BEHIND ME, YOU CAN RUB IT WITH INK AGAINST IT AND IMPRINT THAT NAME. SO IF YOU HAVE A LOVED ONE WHO HAS SERVED SINCE NINE OVER 11, THEIR NAME IS LIKELY ON THESE WALLS HERE. AND YOU CAN TAKE THAT HOME WITH YOU. SO IT’S REALLY INTERACTIVE AND SPECIAL EXPERIENCE. A WONDERFUL WAY TO SPEND MEMORIAL DAY. BRITTANY, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND ONE OF THE LARGEST MEMORIAL DAY EVENTS IN OUR REGION IS AT MOUNT VERNON MEMORIAL PARK IN FAIR OAKS. BOY SCOUTS HELPED PLACE FLAGS THROUGHOUT THE CEMETERY. IT’S A TRADITION THAT GOES BACK MANY YEARS. IT’S JUST A LITTLE WAY OF SHOWING LIKE, HEY, WE RECOGNIZE THE FAMILIES THAT ARE MOURNING THEIR LOSSES FOR THOSE WHO SERVED OUR COUNTRY AND THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED THE SERVICE INCLUDED THE ROTC AND HONOR GUARDS FROM UC DAVIS AND TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, THE CITY OF RANCHO CORDOVA, HOLDING A CEREMONY TODAY AT THE CORDOVA HIGH SCHOOL PERFORMING ARTS CENTER. THE THEME THIS YEAR, THEIR SACRIFICE, OUR GRATITUDE. THE GOAL WAS TO HONOR WAR HEROES FROM THE 21ST CENTURY. EVERY WAR, OUR NATIONS, THE MILITARY GOES THESE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN A SYMBOL FOR A COUNTRY THAT STRIVES TO BE BETTER TOMORROW THAN IT IS TODAY. JUST AS THE FLAG DRAPES ACROSS THEIR COFFINS AND IS PLACED AT THEIR GRAVESITES, WE MUST CONTINUE TO UPHOLD THAT SOLEMN VOW AND PROMISE WHEN WE VIEW OUR FLAGS AT THE CEREMONY. INCLUDED A PERFORMANCE BY THE RANCHO CORDOVA RIVER CITY CONCERT BAND IN LODI. PEOPLE CAME TOGETHER FOR THIS CEREMONY. THIS WAS THIS MORNING AT THE LODI MEMORIAL CEMETERY. IT WAS HOSTED BY THE AMERICAN LEGION. IT FEATURED THE AMERICAN LEGION POST 22 COLOR GUARD AND THE LODI COMMUNITY BAND. THE GUEST SPEAKER WAS LIEUTENANT COLONEL PHIL LITZ. VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT’S THE FAMILY. LOVE IT. YOU KNOW, THEY THEY APPRECIATE WHAT WE’RE DOING. PUT THESE FLAGS OUT AND THAT WE’RE REMEMBERING THESE VETERANS OVER THE WEEKEND, BOY SCOUTS AND GIRL SCOUTS PLAY SMALLER FLAGS ON VETERANS MARKERS. AND PEOPLE GATHERING AT THE TRACY PUBLIC CEMETERY TO REMEMBER THOSE BURIED THERE WHO DIED SERVING OUR COUNTRY. FLAGS WERE PLACED ALL AROUND THE CEMETERY. WREATHS ALSO HUNG. IT’S REALLY SPECIAL TO SEE THE CITY OF TRACY COME TOGETHER FOR MEMORIAL DAY. WE’VE BEEN PLACING WREATHS HERE AT THE CEMETERY FOR YEARS AND IT’S JUST SO ENCOURAGING TO HAVE FOLKS TAKE A MOMENT OUT OF THEIR DAY AND TO TALK ABOUT LIKE WHAT TODAY IS ALL ABOUT. IT’S NOT JUST BARBECUE AND CAR SALES, IT’S ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT WE REMEMBER THE LIVES OF THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN WHO MADE THE ENTIRE SYSTEM WE HAVE THAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED MOST EVERY DAY FOR GRANTED. PEOPLE DRIVE BY THE CEMETERY, INCLUDING ME AND DON’T EVEN UNDERSTAND THE GRAVITY OF HOW MANY OF OUR FALLEN HEROES ARE RESTING IN THIS HALLOWED SPACE. AND YOU KNOW, IT’S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD PROBABLY ASK MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT. AND THERE WAS ANOTHER CEREMONY IN THE CITY OF TRACY TODAY, AND THAT WAS HELD AT THE WAR MEMORIAL MODESTO MAN HAS TURNED HIS LAWN INTO A TRIBUTE TO FALLEN HEROES. HE HAS 82 CROSSES ON DISPLAY, 60 OF THEM HAVE THE NAMES OF MARINE, ARMY AND NAVY MEMBERS THAT DIED IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN. TEN SHOW THE NUMBER OF LIVES LOST IN WARS FROM THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR TO CURRENT CONFLICTS. THE LAST 12 HAVE THE NAMES OF POLICE OFFICERS WHO DIED IN THE LINE OF DUTY. THE BIGGEST FEAR OF A GOLD STAR FAMILY IS THAT THE MEMORY OF THEIR LOVED ONE WILL BE FORGOTTEN. THE SACRIFICE THEY MADE WOULD BE FORGOTTEN. AND ME AND MY LITTLE WAY HERE, I CAN, UM, MAKE SURE THAT EVERY MEMORIAL DAY THERE ARE THEIR NAMES. ARE THERE. CROSSES ARE PUT UP, THEIR NAMES ARE PUT UP, AND THEY’RE MEMORIALIZED. THE DISPLAY WILL BE UP UNTIL TOMORROW. IF YOU’D LIKE TO STOP BY, IT’