Field of Honor opens at Merced College, continues tradition of honoring veterans
Merced’s annual Field of Honor opened for visitors on Saturday afternoon on the front lawn of Merced College.
The display is Merced’s annual tradition of paying homage to the nation’s heroic military and law enforcement men and women, with a display of approximately 1,000 American flags.
Volunteers were still busy posting flags out on the lawn and tagging each flag with the name of a veteran Saturday afternoon.
“People can still purchase flags and reflys,” said volunteer Tim O’Neill. “We ask only that they do it online before coming out here. Once the flag has been purchased online the staff will place it out in the field.”
The Field of Honor is scheduled to be on display until Sunday, Nov. 15. It’s open to the public 24 hours per day. There will be staff on site from noon to 4 p.m. on weekends and 1-5 p.m. on weekdays.
“People are welcome to come at night when the lights are out,” O’Neill said.
The display includes special sections honoring law enforcement, first responders and those who have served in the military. There is also a section that displays the history of the United States flag.
The flags can be purchased online at www.mercedfieldofhonor.org.
There are some changes to this year’s Field of Honor due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
All visitors are asked to wear a face mask while visiting the display, and adhere to social distance guidelines.
Many events linked with the Field of Honor had to be canceled this year due to the pandemic.
Some of those events include the field’s opening and closing ceremonies, Merced’s annual Run for the Fallen, plus school field trips and flag retirement ceremonies.
