A crowd formed at the Pismo Beach Pier for a Memorial Day ceremony hosted by the city on Monday morning.
Sgt. George Ayson came from Arroyo Grande to be at the event.
“I like to give homage to the children, sons and daughters who gave their lives to our America because we have freedom," Ayson said. "A lot of times we take that for granted but freedom costs a lot.”
Ayson is an Army veteran himself, stationed in Europe during the Vietnam War. He said he’s worried the younger generations could be forgetting the meaning of Memorial Day.
“I realize the older generation knows about it, but I hope the new generation would realize that freedom was given because someone died to keep us free," Ayson said.
Kina Shepard brings her family to the ceremony in Pismo Beach each year to make sure the holiday’s purpose isn’t lost.
“It's mainly just showing respect for those who have given up the ultimate sacrifice," Shepard said. "That's something I want my daughters to be aware of, too.”
Shepard said she has friends actively serving in the military, and by bringing her daughters to this event, it shows them what’s going on beyond the Central Coast.
“We just get lost in this bubble here because we live on this perfect oasis in the Central Coast," Shepard said. "I just want to pass this on to them. They're still pretty young to understand the gravity of it, but that's something I want to pass on.”
She said no matter what political side people are on, they can empathize with the loss that veterans’ families feel.
“I think we should all be able to empathize and be compassionate with those who maybe said yes and were scared for their lives, but still went anyways," Shepard said.
