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Bay Area residents spend Memorial Day aboard USS Hornet
KTVU's Rob Roth reports.
ALAMEDA, Calif. - Veterans and relatives of those who served in the military were among the hundreds of people who boarded the USS Hornet on Memorial Day.
"I was lucky. Pure and simple," said Lewis Ross, who spent 27 years in the Navy. "There were people up there who died. I really don't want to talk about how they died. I was blown down the deck once myself. I was lucky."
The USS Hornet, now permanently based in Alameda, is itself a veteran, having served in World War II, Korea, and Viet Nam.
For those who boarded this former aircraft carrier, the holiday was not merely part of a fun weekend.
"It's to thank the veterans of the past and in the future. Thank you for supporting our country," said Bill Fee, who once served on the Hornet.
"For us, it is important because it allows us the opportunity to pause and remember and remember the sacrifices not just of the soldiers but family members who lost a father, mother brother, or sister," said Army Chaplain Paul Sauer. Sauer has had to escort families as they receive the bodies of loved ones as they were brought home.
"When you have been through something like that, the impact, even on someone who didn't know them personally, you still feel that in the core of your being," he said.
The program ended with the playing of Taps and a wreath tossed over the side of the Hornet and into the Bay.
"People who died gave everything they had. These people deserve to be remembered," said Ross.