Memorial Day, a Time to Remember

* Memorial Day is, at its root, a personal time of remembrance.

Our perceptions of it are shaped by the men and women we knew in uniform, who defined our sense of duty to country, honor and pride. It is, specifically, a day on which we pause to recall those who gave their lives in service to our nation. Those lives lost are the foundation of freedom’s victory.

As I ponder Memorial Day I recall those men and women (Americans and Filipinos) who fought beside me against Japanese armed forces in the battle of the Peninsula of Bataan. I recall their courage, skill and determination. And I mourn their loss. I cannot forget all the Gold Star Mothers and their families whom I had the honor to meet.

On May 29 at 11 a.m., I will join the Camarillo American Legion Post 741 at the Conejo Mountain Memorial Park cemetery in Camarillo. I will lay a wreath in honor of all the prisoners of war and soldiers still missing in action. Representatives of other veterans groups will do the same.

Please join us, to show that they have not been forgotten.

MANUEL A. ENERIZ

Camarillo