Menifee residents, veterans and city officials gathered Wednesday morning for the city’s annual Veterans Day ceremony, recognizing those who have served in the military and the families who have supported them.
The Nov. 11 event, held in partnership with the city’s Veterans and Military Families Advisory Committee and VFW Post 1956, centered on this year’s theme, “Veterans Helping Veterans and Their Families.”
The ceremony began with welcoming remarks from retired Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Gerald Saunders, followed by a prayer from Navy Chaplain Ernie Silvers. Boy Scouts of America Troop 374 presented the colors and Liberty High School student Audrey Woisin performed the national anthem.
Mayor Ricky Estrada, who recently returned from an overseas military deployment, spoke about the sacrifices made by service members and their families. He shared that his wife, Naomi, was pregnant during his deployment and that he returned home within two weeks of their daughter’s birth.
“There is no veteran without our families, without our spouses, without our daughters, our sons,” Estrada said.
Mayor Ricky Estrada addresses the Veterans Day crowd.
Other City Council members also shared remarks, including military veterans Dan Temple and Dean Deines, who spoke about the importance of honoring veterans and supporting their families.
Councilman Dean Deines, a U.S. Army veteran, delivers remarks.
The city recognized 40 honorees through its Military Banner Program, which displays banners featuring active-duty service members and veterans along Newport Road, Menifee Road and in the Sun City area. Each banner remains on display for two years before being presented to the honoree.
Retired Army Staff Sgt. Doc Ziggy Zuniga, executive director of Operation Sick Care, served as the keynote speaker. Zuniga, a Purple Heart recipient who survived 21 improvised explosive device blasts during his military service, spoke about the challenges veterans can face when returning to civilian life.
“The way we change that is speaking with each other, keeping our battle buddies close to our hearts and our minds,” Zuniga said.
The ceremony also recognized Dwayne Wright Jr., an eighth-grade student at Hans Christensen Academy, as the winner of the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen essay contest.
Wright read his winning essay, “What a Veteran Taught Me About America,” which reflected on lessons he learned from his father, a Navy veteran, about freedom, responsibility and helping others.
“You don’t have to be powerful to help your country. Sometimes helping one person makes all the difference,” Wright said.
Retired U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Doc Ziggy Zuniga delivers the keynote address.
Hans Christensen Academy eighth-grader Dwayne Wright Jr. reads his winning Patriot’s Pen essay.Â
The program also featured an Armed Forces Medley and a performance of “God Bless America” by Woisin, along with a POW/MIA table presentation honoring prisoners of war and those missing in action.
Attendees also enjoyed lunch, viewed displays and visited resource booths offering information and support for veterans and their families. The event included a Veterans Day flyover by the Veterans Day Salute Flight and Dawn Patrol Airshows Formation Team.
Saunders closed by encouraging attendees to remember veterans beyond the annual ceremony.
“Let’s not forget this day. Let’s not forget our veterans,” he said.
