A La Jolla couple are continuing to honor the memory of their son who fell in the Iraq War and to remind hundreds of area residents of the true meaning of Memorial Day.
The Millard family organized the fourth annual Bouquet Ride on May 25 with 200 cyclists riding from the family business, California Bicycle in La Jolla, to Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in Point Loma — the final resting place of Army l. Gregory “Shortie” Millard, who was killed in Iraq in 2007. His parents, Kevin and Jill, and brother Jason started the ride in 2020.
“We went as a family [the first year] and had some people us,” Jill said. “It’s such an easy ride, about 12 miles each way. We had a great time. We did it again the following year and more and more people ed us. We had 200 people last year, probably the same number of people this year.”
During the ride, every cyclist brings a bouquet of flowers in the bike’s basket or water bottle carrier. Once everyone arrives, a minister or a friend of Gregory’s usually says a few words.
While many of the participants knew Gregory or his family, some are clients of California Bicycle or simply are ers of the cause. Many riders place flowers on Gregory’s gravesite, and some place them on other tombstones as well.
“It is super heartwarming and makes us feel really good,” Jill said. “It also helps [participants], because Memorial Day is often seen as the start of summer, so people are hanging out at the beach … and not really thinking about what Memorial Day means. We didn’t either until our son was killed. So we want to educate the people about what Memorial Day is all about.”
Jill said she intends to continue organizing the rides on Memorial Day weekends in tribute to Gregory.
“He would love the bike ride,” Jill said. “He would want to be celebrated, not mourned. The best part is his site is next to someone with the last name of Morgan, who was a captain, so he gets to be next to Captain Morgan [also the name of a rum brand]. He would love the group coming together and celebrating.”
Gregory, who attended Muirlands Middle and La Jolla High schools and “grew up” at California Bicycle, was the “life of the party” and known by many in the area, Jill said.
He wanted to the Army before Sept. 11, 2001, and the terrorist attacks on America that day solidified his decision to enlist, his family said. During his service, he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. He was an assistant machine gunner.
Gregory was killed May 26, 2007, along with two companions in Iraq’s Salah Ad Din province when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle.
His family began calling him “Shortie” because, when he was very young, he didn’t grow quickly and the nickname stuck. People would ask why a 6-foot-1 man would be called Shortie, but the family insisted “it just fit.”
He was considered “a friendly guy” who would “go out of his way to make you comfortable, would do anything for his friends,” Jill said. “He did not judge people. … Everyone wanted to be around him. They would go to bars at night and the girls would just gravitate toward him. … It was interesting to watch him grow up in the years he was in the military.
“He would go on a mission that could be three or four days and as soon as he would get back to base, he would get in line for the phone so he could let us know he was OK. He might have needed a meal or a shower, and it would be hours [to wait], but he always called us. He didn’t want people to worry.”
His family set up a website dedicated to Gregory’s memory at armymillard.com. ◆
