Recent homecomings for the remains of two soldiers missing in action for decades after the Korean War prompted a Memorial Day reminder about the plight of those who have not yet returned.
Speakers Monday mentioned both men, now buried in local cemeteries, during the Memorial Day ceremony in Santa Maria.
California has more than 5,649 people still listed as missing in action from past wars, most from World War II, 260 from the Korean War and 188 from the Vietnam War, according to Col. Bryan Titus, vice commander of operations for Space Launch Delta 30 at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
“Make the conscious choice to remember them all until they come home,” Titus said.
Army Pfc. Don D. Dowler, 18, was buried at the Santa Maria Cemetery in early 2022 after his remains were identified and returned to the United States.
Originally from Clarinda, Iowa, he enlisted in the military in San Francisco and was buried in Santa Maria, where his sister lived.
He was killed in 1951, but listed as missing in action until North Korea returned his remains, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
“If you know of any family that has a missing in action, they need to register their DNA. That way we can bring our brothers and sisters home,” said emcee Michael Stadnick Jr., who also leads the Santa Maria Valley Veterans Honor Guard.
This year, Army Cpl. Carmen Carrillo, 20, returned home to Lompoc with a service that included Vandenberg Space Force Base personnel.
Carrillo had been listed as missing in action and presumed dead since the 1950s.
Yet his remains were recovered in 2013 and identified in 2021 as the nation honored its pledge to never leave a soldier behind, Titus said.
“I’m certain that Corporal Carrillo and his fellow soldiers did not think of themselves as heroes,” Titus said. “They, and thousands of others, would simply say they were doing what they were asked and what they took an oath to do — defend our liberties, our freedoms and the American way of life.
“Have no doubt the service members we remember on Memorial Day here on this hallowed ground are heroes. They served others and our nation at the ultimate cost.”
Titus noted that the toll of war extends to military members’ families forever missing a loved one killed while serving on active duty.
California has more than 10,000 Gold Star families or those who have lost a member serving in the military.
“That number is a sober reminder that the loss of a service member can be far-reaching,” Titus said. “They are our friends, our neighbors and our coworkers.”
Still, Titus said, he believes fallen military members would not want people to remain sorrowful.
“They would want us to make to make this a positive and a memorable day, for their sacrifice ensures we have the freedom to do so,” Titus said.
“Share the joy that comes with the freedom they protected.”
The ceremony was one of several in the North County, with others occurring at the Lompoc, Guadalupe, Orcutt and Los Alamos cemeteries.
The Solvang Veterans Memorial Building also was the site for a ceremony Monday.
And the Santa Maria Elks paused rodeo preparations to remember Memorial Day with a ceremony near the flagpoles at the rodeo grounds.