Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
At a ceremony honoring Sgt. William Pittenger on May 24 at Odd Fellows Cemetery, William Peck portrays President Abraham Lincoln, who established Memorial Day in 1868.
Flowers are placed on the grave of Sgt. William Pittenger, a Medal of Honor recipient.
Honoring Sgt. William Pittenger at his grave in Odd Fellows Cemetery are (back row, from left) John May, Ernie Powell, William Peck, Department Commander Jerry Sayre, Will Tisch, (front row, from left) Jim Churchyard, Brenda Boucher, Dean Poole, Jeff Malone and Eileen Tisch.
A stack of muskets with a cartridge box symbolize the Civil War soldier
FALLBROOK — On Saturday, May 24, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War hosted Memorial Day services at Odd Fellows Cemetery honoring Sgt. William Pittenger.
President Abraham Lincoln (portrayed by William Peck) attended the Memorial Day service and gave the Gettysburg Address and Department Commander Jerry Sayre read General Order Number 11, the 1868 proclamation that established Memorial Day.
Also in attendance were the Auxiliary to the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and the Camp Pendleton Eagle Young Marines under the direction of Duane and Patti Siegmann, both retired from the Marine Corps.
On May 15, 16, 17 and 20, Jay Bell, a member of the Fallbrook Masonic Lodge; Jerry Sayre, a local volunteer; and a group of 23 Marines from Camp Pendleton spent several days cleaning up the cemetery for the ceremony planned to honor military service personnel.
The group knocked down overgrown grass and weeds, cleaned headstones and markers, trimmed and cut trees, shaped hedges, reaffixed headstones, cleaned out trash in the surrounding area, cleared brush from the outer perimeter of the fence line, sanded the picket fence while preparing future boards for application and painting, improved access to gravesites and manufactured new wooden planks to replace portions of the worn picket fence.
Not only did the Marines clean the cemetery, but one representative said the group received “a snapshot into the historic events that built this great country.”
“Every Marine explained that they felt a sense of awe and humility while working around the numerous military graves from all of the wars,” said K.I. Ferguson. “The most important site for the Marines, hands down, was that of Sgt Pittenger. Never in their life have these Marines seen a living recipient or seen the gravesite of a Medal of Honor winner.”
The Marines who assisted in the effort include: CWO5 Jeffrey Backus, Gunnery Sgt. Kirk Ferguson, Gunnery Sgt. David Tafoya, Staff Sgt. Derek Summerlin, Staff Sgt. Thomas Barabasz, Staff Sgt. Daniel Hanrahan, Staff Sgt. Scott Dahn, Sgt. Joshua Tackett, PFC Vincent Vigil, Private Jonathan Vanhersteren, PFC James Crossnoe, PFC Robert Dickens, PFC Skander Filipi, PFC Max Hedrington, PFC Richard Housand, PFC Joshua Lopez, PFC Andrew Mohs, PFC Jacob Ortega, PFC Kurt Short, PFC Brent Spear, PFC Christopher Vardon, PFC Jason Whitten and Private Philip Moss.
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