Visalia honors those killed in active duty this Memorial Day

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Each American emblem astatine the Visalia Cemetery represents a beingness mislaid during progressive duty.

On this Memorial Day, hundreds gathered successful the South Valley to grant the lives of those who served.

Over 4,000 flags were placed connected gravesites.

Among them, Visalia autochthonal Jared Verbeek, successful his last resting place.

"The symptom doesn't spell away, it's an unfastened coiled that we transportation that we person learned to woody with, but astatine immoderate infinitesimal the feelings travel back, they onslaught us," says Rosalia, Verbeek's mother.

The youngest and lone lad successful the Verbeek family, a hubby and a begetter to an 18-month-old astatine the time.

Verbeek died astatine 22 successful June 2011 successful Afghanistan from an IED.

His parents accidental helium was loving, kind, and speedy to assistance anyone successful need.

They constituent to a documentary, recovered here, wherever the lives of Verbeek and galore others are honored.

"We find joyousness successful his memories and things we cognize helium was astir and things helium did," expresses Travis, Verbeek's father.

"Our top happening is that Jared was a Christian, and due to the fact that helium was a Christian and due to the fact that of that, we cognize wherever he's astatine and helium is waiting for us," expresses Rosalia.

There was lasting country lone astatine the yearly Memorial Day ceremonial successful Visalia.

"I anticipation this continues until we are agelong gone, due to the fact that this is the astir fantastic feeling to beryllium capable to beryllium retired present and bash thing for them, they springiness their beingness for us, but we get to retrieve them truthful they are not forgotten," says Rosalia.

Also honored was Manuel Joaquin Holguin, of Woodlake.

"He was killed successful Iraq connected July 15th, 2006, by an IED," says Manuel Holguin's father.

"He was the benignant of kid you would privation to beryllium around," expressed Lydia and Manuel, Holguin's parents.

They continue, "You inactive deliberation astir what could've been, that is the hardest part, what could've been, and what we miss retired connected due to the fact that helium is not with america and it's not gonna change."

Honoring loved ones mislaid and those who proceed to serve.

"It takes a peculiar idiosyncratic to bash that, to measurement retired each time knowing it could beryllium the past day," says Manuel.

The Visalia Avenue of Flags Organization is ever looking for volunteers to assistance acceptable up and instrumentality down flags connected Memorial Day weekend.

If you are funny successful volunteering, you tin conscionable astatine the Visalia Cemetery each Memorial Day Monday astatine 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM.

If you would similar to enactment the Visalia Avenue of Flags, you tin sojourn their website here, oregon email Kevin Gerke astatine kevingerke12b@gmail.com. They are successful request of volunteers, and donations are welcome.

For quality updates, travel Kassandra Gutierrez connected Facebook, X and Instagram.