When Cynthia Woods saw the names of 246 service members engraved on the granite wall, tears fell as she thought of her son.
Woods, 45, of Clovis was among hundreds Saturday at the veterans hospital in Fresno for the dedication of three new monuments for veterans, including the Wall of Honor. Woods' son, Anthony Palacio, 21, joined the U.S. Army on Oct. 4.
"For the first time in my life, I realized how all these men and women sacrificed their lives," Woods said. "And I said, please God, don't ever let them give me a flag for that reason."
Joanne Metry, left, and Sharon Morris place flowers on the Wall of Honor monument that was dedicated at the VA hospital in Fresno. Several hundred people were in attendance at an event that unveiled three monuments that honored military veterans of all branches of the service. Metry and Morris were joined by Jonathon Casteel, Morris' son, to honor Metry's father, Stan Casteel, a 20-year veteran of the Navy whose name was engraved on the wall.
The hospital's granite Wall of Honor for veterans was the brainchild of the 2008 leadership class at the VA Central California Health Care System. The wall is similar to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., but contains names of Valley veterans from several wars.
The leadership class wanted to honor veterans of the past, present and future, said James Dunmore III, a licensed vocational nurse and leadership class member. Fresno's U.S. Air Power Museum Foundation helped pay for the wall's construction.
Saturday's ceremonies also included the unveiling of an Honoring All Who Serve Monument. The monument thanks those in all branches of the military. A Blue Star Garden Memorial Marker also was dedicated.
The blue star was used on flags and outside servicemen's homes during World War II. The marker is part of a program started in 1945 by the National Council of State Garden Clubs, now the National Garden Clubs Inc.
But the Wall of Honor was the focal point for most people at the dedication.
Margaret Camp, 82, came from Ahwahnee. Her son's name was among the 246 engraved on the wall. William G. Camp was killed in action in Vietnam in 1968. He was 19.
Camp found her son's name and sat quietly in her wheelchair before it. She has visited the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, but her son's name on the 7-foot black granite wall at the hospital "means everything to me. I don't want him ever to be forgotten," she said.
The wall gave veterans reason to pause and reflect on their service.
Donald Lowe, 76, a retired farmer from Fresno, helped rescue missionaries during his Korean War service in the Special Forces.
"I'm very proud of it," he said of being listed on the Wall of Honor.
Earl Watson, 83, of Fresno fought in the Battle of the Bulge. It was a "real tear jerker" to see his name on the wall, he said.
Kathryn Hernandez, 23, of Fresno served from 2003 until this May in the Air Force. She was part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
It's an honor to be included on the wall with World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans, she said.
"I feel like I shouldn't be in that company, because so many experienced more than I experienced," Hernandez said. She was a satellite communications technician while in the Air Force.
Veterans said they appreciated all the attention.
Korean War veterans Gilbert De La Pena, 76, of Fresno and Aurelio Salas, 78, of Visalia saluted as the color guard presented flags. Both men are members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. They were injured during the Korean War. De La Pena pointed to a scar on the bridge of his nose: "A quarter of an inch either way and I wouldn't be talking to you," he said.
A bullet came within a half-inch of Salas' heart. The dedication ceremony helped remind people "that we have people serving and people who have served doing the things a nation has to have done in a time of turmoil," De La Pena said.
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