The ultimate sacrifice, Memorial Day on Monday

On Monday in the serene setting of Isidro Baca Veterans Park, the community is invited to gather to honor the brave souls who have served and died for our country. The Memorial Day ceremony will be guided by the distinguished Lieutenant Colonel Dave Finley of the Civil Air Patrol, who will take on the role of Master of Ceremonies.

The ceremonies will begin at 11 a.m., with Tori Murillo singing the National Anthem. Speakers include Socorro Mayor Pro-tem Mary Ann Chavez Lopez, State Representative Rebecca Dow and Socorro County Manager Andy Lotrich.

With the closure of the local DAV chapter, Finley said that Daun Medarius of Forget Me Not Veterans picked up the torch and has organized a community Honor Guard that will attend the ceremony.

Finley said this year has a special historical significance.

"It's been 250 years since the Battle of Lexington, a shot heard around the world that started our revolution, and we're honoring those who died in the service of our country. And the first nine of those were at the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775, and this year, even before the Declaration of Independence, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Army, the Navy and the Marine Corps," Finley said, "of course, next year will be 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, so that the country will hit 250 years. But as far as I'm concerned, the whole thing started last month with the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington."

He said people often get confused about Armed Forces Day, Veterans Day, and Memorial Day. Memorial Day honors those who died in service, Armed Forces Day honors those currently serving, and Veteran's Day honors those who formerly served.

Established in 1869 to honor Union and Confederate soldiers from America's Civil War, Decoration Day was first observed at Arlington National Cemetery. General and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant presided over the ceremony, attended by Washington officials. After speeches, children from the Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphan Home and members of the Grand Army of the Republic honored both Union and Confederate graves with flowers, prayers, and hymns.

The observance was expanded after World War I to include American casualties of any war or military action. Since 1971, when Congress declared it a national holiday, Memorial Day has been observed on the last Monday of May, commemorating U.S. men and women who died while in military service, usually in harm's way.

Isidro Baca, the namesake of the park in front of the Socorro County Courthouse, passed away on August 21, 1967, while serving in the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines in Vietnam. Ann Baca, in an interview during the park's official renaming ceremony in 2009, shared that her brother Isidro had been in the country for six months when his jeep was ambushed near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Quang Tri Province. He was just 19 years old.

The dedication plaque also honors several other Socorro residents: Donald R. Alexander, Willie B. Lee, Florentino Tafoya Jr., George Eloy Tafoya, and John V. Tafoya.