Memorial Day in Sonoma, 2017
Sonoma’s 59th Memorial Day observance will be held on Monday, May 29. Events begin at 11 a.m. with a grand march of the flags of all services into the Veterans Memorial Park on First Street West, followed by an All-American Picnic hosted by the Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley.
The ceremony includes patriotic music, Honor and Youth Color Guards, an aerial fly-over, and an address by Guest of Honor U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Joshua Overn, a Sonoma Valley High School graduate in 2001.
Overn is a Naval aviator stationed at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. He has served duty on-board the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in support of disaster relief efforts for Haiti, and again onboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise during military operations in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
He is married to the former Nicole Gonzales, who also graduated from Sonoma Valley High School in 2001. They have two children.
The master of ceremonies will be retired Marine Corps Reserve Col. William E. Peacock. A Vietnam War veteran, Peacock also served in a civilian capacity as the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
In keeping with a popular tradition that began 12 years ago with the unveiling of the Star of Honor fountain, all veterans are invited to wear their best military uniforms (or appropriate attire) and participate in the Grand March at the opening of the Ceremony. To participate, vets are asked to muster at 10:30 a.m. sharp in the parking lot.
Immediately following the patriotic ceremony, the Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley serves its All-American Picnic at the adjacent Veterans Building. The meal is complimentary to veterans and their families and friends, though donations are welcom.
A cooking committee led by local Rotarians Vicki Whiting, Sam Morphy, Ron Lawson, Marck Zuehlsdorff and Gary Edwards will grill approximately 1,000 hamburgers and hotdogs in honor of the memory of the late Howard “Howie” Ehret, a retired U.S. Navy Captain who was a highly energetic community leader, volunteer and Rotarian.
Howie’s service to this community actually began during the late 1980s while he was still serving on active duty as the commanding officer of the Naval Communications Station at Skaggs Island, according to Robert Leonard, the event chairman.
While still on active duty, he helped breathe new life into this “Sonoma Valley Joint Memorial Day Observance” during the late 1980s and early 1990s to insure that it continued to remain vibrant today. He then quickly transitioned from military leader to community leader, without losing a step, Leonard said.
He became a fulltime resident of the Sonoma Valley just prior to his retirement from the Navy. When he made his home here, he was no longer Captain Ehret, but just “Howie” to his friends and fellow Sonomans. Virtually from that time forward, he was an active community leader and volunteer, not only becoming the “heart & soul” of the Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley, but also serving on behalf of the Sonoma Community Center, the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce and many other local groups.
Ehret is perhaps best remembered as the quiet force behind two of the most beloved Sonoma Valley celebrations: the “Sonoma Community Center’s Ox Roast” and the “Old Fashioned 4th of July Parade & Plaza Celebration.” The Sonoma City Council honored him with the title of Sonoma Alcalde, the traditional Honorary Mayor, for 2000.
Ehret passed away peacefully with his family at his side on December 11, 2011. He was 70 years old. A stone bench commemorating his memory is located within the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Park Cemetery behind the Star of Honor fountain. It bears a bronze plaque placed by the Rotarians.
The Rotarians will be greatly assisted during the picnic by Ruth Parks Chambers (who has largely overseen this event for the past twelve years), the Sonoma Valley High School Alumni: Class of 1966 and the Native Daughters of the Golden West.
Although the picnic is complimentary, a Star of Honor pledge drive will take place during the picnic for donations needed to maintain and improve the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Park and assist toward the expense of applying the names of local deceased veterans to fountain monument, which is the centerpiece for the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Park. The black granite walls of this fountain is being etched with the names of all deceased Sonoma Valley veterans beginning with the American Revolution.
Photos of 2016 event by William Murray
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Prior to 2005, the Sonoma Memorial Day Ceremony and Observance was in danger of being lost. Only a handful of people were showing up, and no one seemed to care. That all changed when the Parks family took charge. Today the ceremony and observance regularly attract 1000 people or more. The Parks truly deserve a round of applause and our grateful thanks. They are the best of old Sonoma.