The Sunday ceremony included keynote speaker Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, who read President Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" before members of the California State Honor Guard fired volleys and played taps.
A crowd gathered near the cemetery's reflection pond to honor veterans who have died before heading out to the headstones of friends and family, where many decorated the markers with flags and flowers.
Elma Weaver, 82, of Atwater decorates the headstone of her husband, Ward, on Sunday, May 27, 2018, at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery in Santa Nella following a ceremony for Memorial Day. The Air Force and Navy veteran who died in 2006 served during the Vietnam and Korea conflicts, his family said. Thaddeus Miller tmiller@mercedsunstar.com
Renae Frye, 55, of Turlock sits next to the headstone of her husband, William L. Cozine Sr., on Sunday, May 27, 2018, at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery in Santa Nella following a ceremony for Memorial Day. Cozine, who died in 2005, was a Marine who served during the Vietnam War, according to his wife. Thaddeus Miller tmiller@mercedsunstar.com
A headstone is decorated with flags on Sunday, May 27, 2018, at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery in Santa Nella following a ceremony for Memorial Day. Thaddeus Miller tmiller@mercedsunstar.com
The headstone of Ward A. Weaver on Sunday, May 27, 2018, at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery in Santa Nella following a ceremony for Memorial Day. The Air Force and Navy veteran who died in 2006 served during the Vietnam and Korea conflicts, his family said. Thaddeus Miller tmiller@mercedsunstar.com
The crowd listens to a prayer on Sunday, May 27, 2018, at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery in Santa Nella during a ceremony for Memorial Day. Thaddeus Miller tmiller@mercedsunstar.com
Flags wave over rows of grave markers on Sunday, May 27, 2018, at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery in Santa Nella following a ceremony for Memorial Day. Thaddeus Miller tmiller@mercedsunstar.com
