Body of News Release
San Rafael, CA – Local military veterans organizations in Marin County are inviting the community to join them in paying respects to fallen servicemembers during a Memorial Day event starting at 9 AM Monday, May 27, in San Rafael.
The location of the annual ceremony has changed because of a construction project at the Civic Center complex. In the past few years, the ceremony has taken place in front of the military monuments at the corner of Civic Center Drive and Avenue of the Flags. However, the repaving of the adjacent Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium parking lot has prompted organizers to move the gathering inside nearby Exhibit Hall, on the grounds of the Marin County Fairgrounds. Plenty of parking will be available at 20 Avenue of the Flags behind the auditorium.
The ceremony’s guest speaker is Mike McCarron, a former U.S. Navy flight officer and retired captain in the U.S. Navy Reserves. After completing his active duty, McCarron was a professor at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and served 22 years in top administrative roles at San Francisco International Airport. More recently, he led marketing and communications for the USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum at the Alameda-based aircraft carrier.
The annual tradition of honoring servicemembers who lost their lives in conflicts will be hosted by led by the Marin County United Veterans Council. The Memorial Day event will start at 9 AM with patriotic songs played by the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District Non-Marching Band. Once the ceremony begins at 9:30 AM, the United Veterans Council will have a color guard and flag raisers, and local elected officials and veterans group representatives will be recognized. After ceremonial wreaths are laid at the foot of statues, “Taps” will be played to conclude the ceremony, and guests can enjoy complimentary coffee and doughnuts.
Marin County has approximately 11,000 living military veterans, with service records ranging from World War II to the current conflicts around the globe. Names of local military members who gave their lives on duty are etched into the statues along Avenue of the Flags.
The Marin County Veterans Services office, located at 10 North San Pedro Road in San Rafael, is led by Sean Stephens, a U.S. Army veteran who will serve as master of ceremonies on Memorial Day. Stephens served four combat tours in Afghanistan after joining the Army at the oldest eligible age, 36. Stephens’ office staff assists military vets who might need assistance making connections or filling out forms to receive benefits they’ve earned. Vets can get lined up for mental health services, medical services, court-related services, social services, tuition aid at local colleges, pensions, military discounts, and death benefits.
The Veterans Services Office is overseen by the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services.