Each Memorial Day in recent years Dave and Jan have attended the Loma Vista Memorial Park event sponsored by the American Veterans Memorial Association and the nearby City of Fullerton. This year was the 77th annual Memorial Day event, honoring “The Greatest Generation.”  This year Dave and Jan were joined by Caroleen Suzuki who lives with them in anticipation of her studies next school year at Fullerton College (where Jan’s father worked for 33 years).

The event was attended by many hundreds of local citizens, with 4,000 American flags placed throughout the Memorial Park.
Many people who attended were dressed for the occasion in colorful attire predominated by red, white and blue.

A “Missing Man Flyover” of five planes became only four planes as they passed back over the memorial location.
The Orange County Sheriff’s helicopter landed in the park, delivering the speaker for the event.
The Pledge of Allegiance was followed by the National Anthem, sung by Kristen Romero and Dave Deno, returning for the occasion as they have for quite a number of years. One or the other or both of them also sang America the Beautiful, God Bless the USA, My Buddy, and God Bless America. Amazing Grace was performed on the bagpipes. An address by Lt. General David H. Berger, Commanding General of the First Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton was the main event of the day – and, as always, a very good and appropriate address.
Dave and Jan have good reason for “Honoring the Greatest Generation” because both have fathers who served in World War II – Dave’s dad keeping books for a medical unit in the Army which spent time in England and France, and Jan’s dad among the sailors who landed at Normandy in his service in the Navy. Though we have photos of both fathers in their military uniforms they were not easily included in this blog, so they are pictured here with their wives of many years in grateful appreciation for not only their service to our country but their faithful service to their families.

Norris R. (“Bob”) and Kay Balsley

Gerald M. and Wanda Baden
We are deeply grateful for the benefits we enjoy as citizens of the United States of America, but even more grateful that “our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20)!