Field of Honor pays tribute to Merced veterans, spotlights military, first responders
On a windy Sunday afternoon on Merced College’s front lawn, veterans, their families and community members gathered to open Veterans Week, kicked off by the ninth annual Field of Honor.
Merced Sunrise Rotary Club organized the event, consisting of hundreds of American flags on the college’s front lawn to honor local service members in the Merced County community.
A Run for the Fallen, a 5K/10K/walk to honor those that served and died in the line of duty, was also held on campus Sunday morning.
“It’s probably the most important grassroots community event I can think of,” said Eric Moore, president of Merced Sunrise Rotary. “Every flag represents one person who is either active duty military or a veteran or a first responder, most of which are around Merced City and County.
Many who purchased a large American flag to display on Merced College’s M Street lawn are related to a veteran or someone serving on active duty. But according to Moore, some don’t live in the area anymore at all.
“We do have people who fly flags on behalf of people who are not in the area, so we have people literally from across the country who at one time or another maybe served in the Merced-Atwater area” Moore said. “They consider Merced an important place in their life, so they make a contribution.”
Those who used to live here and have since made a home in another community come back to this one to either honor a member of the military in their life or come back to be an active part of the festivities that honor those with ties to this place.
“I come out here every year and help them out with whatever needs to be done,” said Teresa Londono, a native Mercedian who moved to San Antonio, Texas last year after her husband retired from a job with the State of California after an 18-year career.
Londono’s husband, Maurice Londono, retired from a career in the Army after 23 years at the rank of sergeant first class. before he went to work for the state. Their two sons also went into the Army. One achieved the rank of sergeant first class, as did his wife. Londono’s other son left the Army as a sergeant.
“It means a lot to me maybe because my family gave out a lot being in the military, and I just wanted to help out and give out my time, too,” said Londono, who traveled up from Texas to volunteer at the event.
Opening ceremony
During the Field of Honor opening ceremonies Sunday afternoon, Moore, Merced College President Chris Vitelli and Merced Mayor Matt Serratto spoke. Meanwhile, Merced High’s Marching 100 band performed a medley of “America the Beautiful.”
The Fremont Elementary School Honor Choir also performed two songs during the ceremony honoring veterans and active duty military.
“The reason this is incredibly important to us is because it’s not only symbolic of those who served and continue to serve, but it also represents opportunities,” said Vitelli.
“We recognize the level of commitment veterans made to our country, and in return, we pay our gratitude by providing unparalleled services and programs to help them succeed in higher education.”
The college’s ties to the armed forces and local veterans is a strong one — several years ago, Merced College opened one of the first veterans resource centers. It’s named First Lt. Peter J. Gallo Veterans Resource Center, paid for by a grant from the Gallo Family Foundation.
The center provides admissions and records assistance, academic support, studying and tutoring services, and other support programs.
“The flags behind me represent and honor individuals who have selflessly given to our country,” Vitelli said. “I know each individual represented by a flag had someone invested in them in some way, and for those who didn’t, they deserve more than anyone to have that support.”
Gustavo Escobar, who retired from the military in 2017 and is now involved with the Atwater-Merced chapter of Disabled American Veterans, said he wants to offer that support to veterans after his own military service.
“I’ve been to other bases, and when you retire, a lot of the other bases have a lot of veterans and they are a place to go to,” Escobar said. “Medical services are there, the commissary is there and other things are there. None of that is here currently, but there’s still enough veterans here that want that sense of community.”
Events like the Field of Honor and Run for the Fallen, along with the groups that support those that served, help to fill that need.
“We just want to be part of something, and this community loves veterans,” Escobar said. “You can see it, especially with events like this. It’s just the love for veterans, first responders and those that served.”
This story was originally published November 8, 2021 at 7:21 AM.