Skip to main content

Veterans share stories of sacrifice at Evergreen Cemetery Memorial Day observance

May 28, 2018

SANTA CRUZ >> Abigail Garcia, Morgan Scheiblauer and Emma Barsanti stepped up Monday to do their part in the 151st Memorial Day observance attended by more than 120 people at Evergreen Cemetery.

The trio, members of Girl Scout Troop 10116 in Live Oak, folded the American flag as Army retiree Chuck Woodson explained what each of the 13 folds signifies.

They heard Sungye Hawke, student minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Santa Cruz County lead a prayer: "We are grateful and we are free."

They heard how the Civil War changed Gen. John Logan, the father of Memorial Day, from a supporter of fugitive slave laws to a legislator who backed the 14th Amendment and citizenship rights for former slaves.

They heard U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, talk about his visit to Korea where he saw a memorial honoring each one of the 36,574 troops killed in action.

They heard people in the audience call out the names of loved ones who gave their lives while serving their country.

The three Girl Scouts were a late addition to the program, taking the place of uniformed personnel from the Defense Language Institute who had been called to duties elsewhere.

Afterward, Abigail, 10, wearing a green vest full of merit badges, was glad she participated, admitting she didn't know much about Memorial Day.

"I learned so much," she said, adding, "It was so much fun."

Among the attendees was Kai Azada, 54, of Santa Cruz, who served in the Army from 1982-1988.

"We have a fantastic veterans support system here," he said, encouraging veterans to come to the Veterans Memorial Building on Wednesdays for camaraderie and to meet personally with service providers.

Norm Heaney, 79, a Santa Cruz native who served 20 years in the Navy, shared his adventures in Antarctica as a junior mechanic trying to get a jet off the ground. He brought photos, newspaper reports and his Gibson guitar — which he took to Antarctica — for the "pop-up" exhibit on local veterans.

Marie Miller, 53, who served in the Marine Corps, came to remember Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Joseph Spence of Scotts Valley, who served in Iraq and died at 24.

Miller wore a T-shirt bearing the name of Lance Cpl. Abraham Simpson, who died Nov. 9, 2004, at 19.

"I met his mom, and my son went to infantry school with him," she said. "I want to make sure they're not forgotten."

The solemn ceremony under a blazing sun began with bagpiper Mick Bench leading the procession.

Nina Simon, executive director of the Museum of Art and History, served as emcee.

Why does the museum oversee the Evergreen Cemetery?

The cemetery, which is older than the state of California, is "a place of incredible history," Simon said. "Volunteers are rebuilding headstones, reclaiming history that was lost."

She recently got good news: A $75,000 grant from the state Department of Natural Resources to fund access to cultural resources will help provide a wheelchair-accessible path to the cemetery. The state money must be matched locally.

"We'll do that," said Sibley Simon, 42, her husband, who has been working for seven years to restore the cemetery.

A year ago, he unveiled an effort to work with artists and veterans to re-imagine a plot established by the Grand Army of the Republic, a society founded after the Civil War to advocate for veterans.

Artists Angelina Reed, Grace Garrard, Sean Monaghan, Tobin Keller and Allyson Holden are among the artists who offered ideas.

Since then, the ideas have been melded into a cohesive design, with a painting of the cemetery plot by Keller based on a photo by Reed, along a seated soldier created by Monaghan, a sculptor.

"We want something that looks great and respects the place," said Reed, 48, a Santa Cruz native.

"I like what we've come up with," said Monaghan. "Definitely a synthesis."

The next step will be talking with contractors to get cost estimates.

"We've come pretty far," said Bernadette Guimarin, 58, of Soquel, an Air Force veteran working on the project.

She expects fundraising will begin in six to 12 months.

Sibley Simon said hundreds of volunteers have helped in the cemetery, including groups from UC Santa Cruz, interns from CSU Monterey Bay, students from Natural Bridges High School in Santa Cruz and the Nature Academy in Felton.

About 25 large gravestones have been replaced, with 15 wooden gravestones installed, and 15 replacement markers added, he said.

Hundreds of graves do not have a marker, "but at least we have started," he said.

RESOURCES

Vets4Vets Santa Cruz: Local community of veterans and supporters: Meets at 6 p.m. on second Tuesday of the month at Veterans Memorial Building, 846 Front St., Santa Cruz. Contact Dean Kaufman, 831-420-7348 or scveteranadvocate@gmail.com.

Santa Cruz County Vet Center Readjustment Counseling Service: 1350 41st Ave. Suite 104, Capitola. Open to war zone veterans of all eras, offers counseling related to post-traumatic stress, bereavement, sexual trauma and combat service support. 831-464-4575.

VA Vet Centers: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. www.vetcenter.va.gov or 1-877-WARVETS.

Issues:Veterans