Canyon Lakers honor veterans on Memorial Day

Bert Barbay gives speech about the number of heroes lost in war each year. Photo by Karen Bevans

Each year on Memorial Day, a group of Canyon Lake residents gather at the Veterans Memorial Park in the Towne Center for a moment of silence at 3 p.m. to honor those who died in service to the United States.

The National Moment of Remembrance, established by Congress, asks Americans, wherever they are on Memorial Day at 3 p.m. local time, to pause in an act of national unity for a duration of one minute.

The time 3 p.m. was chosen because it is the time when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday. The Moment does not replace traditional Memorial Day events; rather, it is an act of national unity in which all Americans, alone or with family and friends, honor those who died in service to the United States.

During the gathering, Bert Barbay gave a short speech about the number of heroes lost in war each year, Mayor Pro Tem Jordan Ehrenkranz spoke a few words on behalf of the City of Canyon Lake, DJ Potter led the group in prayer and Nancy Horton read the poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae.