Beneath clear skies and waving American flags, residents, veterans, civic leaders, and families gathered at La Mirada Civic Center Plaza on Memorial Day morning to honor the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the United States.
Hosted by VFW Post 9148, the annual ceremony served as both a remembrance and a reminder that Memorial Day is not simply the unofficial beginning of summer, but a solemn occasion dedicated to those who never returned home. The program featured military traditions, patriotic music, community leaders, and moments of reflection that brought together multiple generations in gratitude and respect.
The ceremony opened with a presentation of colors by the Southeast Academy High School Honor Guard, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by the Young Marines. Veteran and singer Elliott McKenzie delivered the National Anthem before attendees heard remarks from local and state leaders.
Mayor Dr. Ed Eng addressed the gathering, continuing a message he has expressed throughout his public service: that La Mirada remains committed to honoring veterans and remembering the bravery, courage, and sacrifice that secured the freedoms Americans enjoy today.
Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco, representing California’s 64th Assembly District, also participated in the ceremony. Throughout Memorial Day observances across the region, Pacheco emphasized remembrance, gratitude, and recognition of those who paid the highest price in service to the nation.
The morning’s keynote address was delivered by Isidro Carrion, a retired New York Police Department officer and United States Marine Corps veteran. Carrion’s career of public service spanned both military and law enforcement service, making him a fitting voice for a ceremony centered on duty, sacrifice, and commitment to others.
Several of the event’s most moving moments came during the ceremonial traditions. The Flag Folding Ceremony, conducted by the Southeast Academy Honor Guard, was followed by the Battlefield Cross tribute and the Missing Man Table Ceremony, which symbolically honors service members who remain missing or who never returned home.
As names of departed members of VFW Post 9148 and its Auxiliary were read aloud during the In Memoriam portion of the program, attendees stood quietly in reflection. The ceremony also included wreath and flower presentations, reinforcing the day’s central purpose: remembrance.
The event concluded with a benediction, a three-rifle volley by the VFW Post 9148 Rifle Squad, and the haunting notes of Echo Taps, a tradition that never fails to bring a hush across the crowd.
Memorial Day ceremonies such as La Mirada’s serve as powerful reminders that freedom carries a cost measured not in dollars, but in lives. While the names engraved on monuments may belong to another generation, the obligation to remember belongs to all of us.
For a few moments on a spring morning, La Mirada paused to do exactly that.
“We are forever grateful to heroes like you,” Mayor Eng once wrote in a message to veterans. The community’s annual Memorial Day observance demonstrated that those words continue to resonate today.
