Veterans hold the flags of the United States and branches of the military as the national anthem plays in the Downieville Community Hall
DOWNIEVILLE — On Monday, veterans and supporters gathered at the Downieville Community Hall at noon for the traditional Veterans Day parade. Unfortunately, the classic march down Main Street and ringing of the town bell was canceled due to rain, but veterans overcame that obstacle by marching from one room in the Community Hall to the other. Despite the change of plans, turnout was relatively high. “We weren’t sure what was going to happen in the beginning, but it worked out just great,” said organizer Frank Lang. David and Carol Marshall, Don Yegge, and Gary Grutkowski also helped organize the event.
Lang, an Air Force, Army, and Public Health Service veteran with a 24-year service record, led the proceedings. After the march into the Community Hall, in which veterans carried the flags of the United States and branches of its military, a desktop bell was rung by Dan McNamara for each fallen service member shouted out by attendees. As Lang mentioned, roughly 10% of Sierra County residents have served in the US Armed Forces, and an even greater population is related in some way to a veteran.
Frank Lang during the national anthem
Veterans present included Sandy Sanders (Navy), Cai Sorlien (Army), Sonya Meline (Navy), Charles Herman (Air Force Reserves), Gary Grutkowski (Air Force), Sam White (Air Force), Daniel Barry (Army), Cy Rollins (Marines), Jack Marshall (Army), David Marshall (Army), Dan McNamara (Marines), William McCauley (Army), Gordon Bell (Army), and Frank Lang (Air Force, Army, Public Health Service).
Following Lang, Sonya Meline spoke about the unifying influence of the armed forces, emphasizing that people from all walks of life find common ground and strive toward common goals. Meline joined the military at 17, hailing from a military family. Her father was a Marine, and her grandfather was a Mobile Army Surgical Helicopter pilot in the Korean War. Meline spoke of her time in boot camp as giving her “a structure, a purpose, and a tribe. I was a part of something bigger than myself.”
Meline also believes the same sense of unity she found in the military exists in Downieville. “We may not all wear uniforms, but we each serve this community in different ways,” said Meline, highlighting the effort put in by the many volunteers serving the community. She also thanked Mike Galan for knocking on her door one year to invite her to participate in Veterans Day festivities for the first time. Meline concluded with a message to reach out to fellow community members, uphold traditions, and keep the sense of unity alive.
Jacie Epperson helps prepare meals
Finally, Lang suggested a project to refurbish or replace plaques honoring veterans in Downieville, calling it the Veterans Recognition Project. Lang asked for volunteer support to get things moving, hoping to complete the effort by Veterans Day in 2025. After the formal portion of the event concluded, a highly rated meat, potato, and salad lunch cooked by Sabrina Melendrez in collaboration with several volunteers was served.