Lea este artículo en español aquí.
Highlighted by the dedication of six new memorial tiles honoring local veterans, the Hollister Veterans Memorial Building hosted its annual Memorial Day ceremony on May 26.
According to Vets Building manager Maria Spandri, an Air Force veteran herself, about 90 veterans were among the more than 200 people who attended the event.
“The national holiday is a memorial for all our fallen soldiers throughout the nation,” Spandri said. “We have held this annual event for decades, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion have collaborated on it for years.”
The ceremony also included dedicating the tiles in front of the building, each inscribed with the names of San Benito County veterans who have died.
“Their families donate them in honor of their service and the memory of the loss of their loved ones,” she said. “We don’t want any family to think that they’re alone, and we never want any veteran to think that service is unappreciated.”
Shaun Padilla, who spoke during the ceremony, described the gathering as “a very beautiful event for the community,” and said he began attending the ceremony with his father, George Padilla, who died in 2023.
“I come every year in honor and to support my dad,” Shaun said. “Hopefully, he’s proud and watching us from up above. I was honored to get up there and speak. Everyone is supportive. Everyone has gone through a loss of some type in their life, so they understand where I was coming from, speaking today.”
Army veteran Adam Mendolla served in Vietnam between 1968 and 1969. A VFW honor guard member, he does the honors at veteran funerals, presenting flags, playing taps, and firing volleys for the family of fallen military personnel, “no matter what branch, no matter what year.”
“We honor our fallen,” Mendolla said. “This day is especially important to me because it’s a time when we memorialize all of the veterans who have fallen during war and after they got out of service.”
Juan Navarro served in the Marine Corps from 1987 to 1991, primarily in Camp Lejeune, N.C. He said it’s important that we remember all of the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“We all go there knowing it could possibly happen.” Navarro said. “I never expected it to, but when it does, we need to remember those that have given unselfishly.”
Attendee Jim Hart said his favorite part of the event is hearing stories about some of the heroes that have come from Hollister. He said he likes to show his appreciation by serving whenever there are events at the vets building.
“I think this is wonderful tradition,” Hart said. “And it is deserving for those who give their lives to ensure our freedoms and our liberties and to recognize all those who served in the military.”
Chanel Montes sing the national anthem at the Memorial Day Ceremory. Photo by Adam Bell. 
Ryan Grimes. Photo by Adam Bell. 
Bernie Ramirez and Ray Lopez. Photo by Adam Bell. 
Elaine Lopez and Ray Lopez. Photo by Adam Bell. 
American Legion Commander George Nava. Photo by Adam Bell. 
Ray Lopez and Bernie Ramirez. Photo by Adam Bell. 
Memorial Day ceremony. Photo by Adam Bell.
We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. Producing local news is expensive, and community support keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service nonprofit news.