Ramona Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3783 will host three consecutive remembrance events on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26.
“On Memorial Day we usually hold a ceremony in recognition of comrades who have given the ultimate sacrifice,” said post Commander Karen Welch, who will be speaking at all three Memorial Day events.
The first event will start at 10 a.m. at Nuevo Memory Gardens Cemetery, 532 Ash St.
The keynote speaker will be Retired U.S. Army Sgt. Daniel Casara, a Ramona resident and recipient of a Homes for Our Troops home. Casara, who served nearly 15 years in the Army, was severely injured on Sept. 23, 2005, in South Baghdad, Iraq, when his vehicle flipped over after rolling over an anti-tank mine. He received The Purple Heart medal.
Gold Star families whose loved ones died in military duty will also be honored at the Nuevo Memory Gardens ceremony.
Following that event, attendees can caravan to the WWII Memorial located at Ninth and G streets for an 11 a.m. ceremony.
Welch said family of veterans who served during WWII will be invited to share stories about their relatives who were involved in the global conflict from 1939 to 1945.
The next opportunity to pay tribute to heroes will start at noon at the Vietnam War Memorial near Schwaesdall Winery, 17677 Rancho de Oro Drive, off state Route 67.
John Schwaesdall, the winery’s owner, will read names from dog tags of Vietnam veterans who died in the war from 1955 to 1975. All of them were Ramona residents, Welch said.
“The dog tags will be symbolically placed on the memorial,” she said, noting the memorial near the winery’s entrance has a U.S. flag, a prisoners of war flag and a small cannon.
The ceremonies will conclude with a Memorial Day community picnic at the VFW Post 3783 at 2247 Kelly Ave.
Hot dogs and hamburgers will be served and attendees can bring a dish to share, preferably in a disposable container, said Dianne Fink, president of the Post’s Auxiliary. A patriotic quilt and other items will be raffled in an opportunity drawing, she said.
“We have a wonderful grassy, parklike setting so bring your lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy the afternoon,” Fink said.
Preparations for the Memorial Day Remembrance events will begin at 6 a.m. Friday, May 23, when Boy Scouts, VFW Auxiliary and VFW Post will place a small flag on the military graves at Nuevo Memory Gardens and clean the cemetery, Welch said.
Then from Friday, May 23 to Sunday, May 25 the Post will conduct its annual Buddy Poppy drive to collect donations for a veterans relief fund. The red poppies that honor America’s war dead will be distributed in front of the Albertsons, Stater Bros., and Tractor Supply stores in Ramona in addition to the Country Wine & Spirits store in San Diego Country Estates.
of the American Legion Post 332 in Ramona will accompany the VFW during the Memorial Day events, said Ramona American Legion Commander Ray Van Meter.
Van Meter said the VFW and American Legion are the two largest veterans organizations in America — with 1.4 million VFW and 1.6 million American Legion .
The American Legion’s mission is “to enhance the well-being of America’s veterans, their families, our military and our communities by our devotion to mutual helpfulness.”
Van Meter said the Ramona American Legion began sharing the VFW Post’s facilities about a year ago. Before that, the local American Legion was meeting at Ramona Library. Now the group meets at 7 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of every month at the Ramona VFW Post.
The Ramona American Legion had been struggling to acquire new but has since had a boost in hip and is recruiting more new , he said.
The two organizations are tentatively scheduled to announce their partnership at a June 28 ceremony where new American Legion signs will be unveiled at the VFW post. One sign is near Main Street and the other near Kelly Avenue, Van Meter said.
“A lot of people in Ramona don’t know that an American Legion is here,” he said. “We hope that with our signs hanging out on Main Street and Kelly Avenue drivers will see it both ways. And people can look us up on Facebook. We want folks who live in Ramona to belong to the Ramona American Legion to strengthen our organization.”
For more information about the Ramona VFW Post 3783, call 760-789-7888.
For more information about the American Legion Post 332, call 858-663-8426.
