Julien Juarez | The Mercedes Enterprise

The American Legion Post 172 held its annual Memorial Day service last Monday in front of Mercedes City hall, bringing together a community of friends and family through speeches and prayers in order to honor the fallen heroes who gave up their lives to defend the freedoms we have now.

Various members of the Mercedes community paid tribute to our local heroes, including Antonio “Tony” Sanchez, the 1st Vice Commander for the American legion.

“This is not for us [veterans]. We are here today, and we are lucky to have come back, and now we are remembering those that made their ultimate sacrifice for our country…” said Sanchez during his opening speech.

In order to uphold the legacy of the fallen, a final roll call was performed at the end of the service by Lilia Anzaldua, where each of the 44 names etched onto the stone monument were read out loud.

When the last name was called, Antonio Sanzhez reflected on the pain of loss, and ordered the firing of three volleys to honor every soldier’s memory.

With a final prayer, all attendees were asked to pay respect to the many fallen soldiers under the National Moment of Remembrance Act, giving a moment of silence at 3 p.m. to reflect on those who gave their lives for our country.

After the service concluded, we asked Fernando Romeros, a nephew of one of the many soldiers whose name was carved in stone, why it is so important for us to keep the memory of these soldiers alive today.

“Thanks to them, we are living in freedom like no other country in the world. Thanks to our veterans killed in action, hopefully we’ll always hold onto it.” said Romeros.

The American legion post 172 also provided free breakfast to those in attendance, where we interviewed members of Mercedes High School’s JROTC program. Members Angel, Jesus, and Raul were in attendance on Monday, and conducted the raising of the flag, honoring the heroes who gave their lives.

The three members have been attending the Memorial Day Service since their freshman year, and plan on continuing to serve their community by joining the military after graduating.

When asked what freedom and the sacrifice for it means for each of them, the students responded with gratefulness.

“I was very grateful that they did, and we are all grateful for what they did for us.” said Angel.

For more information on the American Legion Post 172 and their future events, visit their Facebook at

https://www.facebook.com/JAGARCIAPOST172