FORT BRAGG, CA., 5/25/26 — Under a gray sky and a lingering chill, about 50 participants—including veterans, families and community members—gathered at 11 a.m. Monday at Fort Bragg’s Rose Memorial Park Cemetery for a solemn observance of Memorial Day. They gathered to honor the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who lost their lives in military service to the nation.
The annual observance was organized with participation from local veterans and community volunteers, including American Legion Sequoia Post 96. Like many American Legion posts, Sequoia Post 96 supports veterans and their families through funeral and memorial honors, community service and civic events, youth programs, and assistance with veterans’ benefits and outreach. The post has been part of the community since 1931.
Ahead of the ceremony, Post 96 Vice Commander Richard Neils explained the different types of veterans’ grave markers in the cemetery. He noted that some mark Civil War veterans who served in the Union Army, offering historical context to the generations of service represented across the grounds. “We have here veterans from all wars, including Spanish-American War veterans. This is history,” he said.
Vietnam veteran Rick Cooper, a past commander of Fort Bragg American Legion Sequoia Post 96, again served this year as the post’s honor guard leader, leading the Memorial Day ceremony. The ceremony opened with the presentation of the colors by the U.S. Coast Guard Station Noyo River honor guard, followed by remarks from Cooper.
The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary chaplain, the Rev. Dr. Sally Swan, offered the invocation. Post 96 volunteer Liz Rantala presented the Memorial Day service reflection. The ceremony continued with a traditional three-volley rifle salute, a military custom dating back centuries in which troops fire three rounds to honor the dead and to signal that fallen soldiers have been recovered from the battlefield. The sharp reports echoed across the cemetery before fading into silence as “Taps” was played.
The ceremony concluded with attendees standing in quiet reflection, many with hands over their hearts or in salute, honoring fallen service members.
Memorial Day traces its origins to the years following the Civil War, when communities decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers in observances known as “Decoration Day.” Over time, the holiday evolved into a national day of remembrance honoring all American military personnel who died in service.
Vice Commander Neils told The Mendocino Voice afterward that the post meets monthly and also hosts a pancake breakfast on the first Saturday of each month from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Mendocino County Veterans Service Hall, 360 N. Harrison St., Fort Bragg. For more information, email alsequoiapost96@gmail.com or call 707-529-0215.
