Overlooking Yosemite Avenue across the street from the Legion Hall is a banner hanging from a light pole.

On one side, it features the name of Louis Gomes.

Gomes, who lost his life In the Korean War, is one of 66 Manteca area men killed during wars while serving America that San Joaquin County Supervisor Sonny Dhaliwal wants to make sure that we never forget.

It is one of 40 street light post banners on display through the end of May — a month the city dedicates to honoring the fallen — accumulating with the three-day Memorial Weekend Commemoration.

“Memorial Day asks us to pause from our daily routines and remember the true cost of freedom,” Dhaliwal said. “It reminds us that behind every name etched in stone is a story, a family, and a legacy of courage. As we prepare for the upcoming observance, let us do so with respect, dignity, and a shared commitment to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Thank you city of Manteca for dedicating the memorial banners.”

Dhaliwal was part of a small group of leaders on hand Monday at the Legion Hall to mark the annual placement of flags and remind the community to pencil in a visit to the commemorative event at Woodward Park on May 23-25.

The banners are part of a month-long endeavor known as “Avenue of Our Heroes”.

They are the fallen from Manteca who were lost in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Global War on Terror.

The Manteca City Council in 2023 proclaimed that the month of May will be known as “The Month to Honor and Remember” the men of our community who gave their all.

Councilman Mike Morowit read the 2023 proclamation honoring those that made the ultimate sacrifice and noting “their heroism will never be forgotten.”

“Today we gather in solemn remembrance of those who gave their lives in service to our nation,” as Jeff Aksland on the American Legion Post 294 foundation noted.

The foundation — along with the City of Manteca— is bringing back the three-day commemoration at Woodward after an eight-year hiatus.

“We honor them best by drawing from their example in our own time, in an era of division and uncertainty, their self-sacrifice challenges us to serve with the same quiet devotion — whether in uniform, in our communities, our in the daily work of citizenship,” Aksland said.

“Let their moral courage inspire us to face our battles with integrity, to value freedom not as a gift but as a responsibility and to build a society worthy of their sacrifice.”

Avenue of Our Heroes that debuted in 2023 was the result of efforts led by Pastor Mike Dillman and Ron Cruz. Both are Vietnam veterans.

There are 40 banners placed on Yosemite Avenue and on Main Street. Each has a name on each side and the war in which they were killed.

In addition to the 66 names of the fallen there are recognition banners of the military branches, VFW Post 6311 and American Legion Post 249, as well as the official proclamation information.

Manteca lost 34 men during World War II.

They were Americus Bettencourt, Anthony Blanco, James H. Blankenship, George R. Calloway, James R. Connors, Bertram F. Daviner, Fred D. Ettle, Walter F. Gibson Jr., Kenneth Grisham, Leslie Harding, Homer Spence,Donald R. Hanson, Frederick Hesser-Farrer, Francis R. Jackson Jr., Harold C. Jensen, Lauren E. Littlefield, John R. Machado, Clifford Malyon Jr., Frank Martin, , Seraphine S. Mederos, Carl A. Petersen, Viggo V. Petersen, Joseph A. Pfister Jr., Angelo A. Ponzio, Donald V. Rieger, George R. Shaffer, Dale Sizemore, Rhys Smith, Homer A. Spence, Delos Stetler, Everett L. Turnbull, Roy Warner, James H. Weeks, Cyril J. Whisman, and William B. Winchester.

The fallen from the Manteca area in World War I were Hope McFall, Earl Woodward, and James Joseph Chio.

The Korean War fallen were Gordon Thompson, Alvin R. Mendes, Billy Freeman, Clarence Avila, Clarence McNames, Louis Gomes, and John C. Martin.

Those falling in the Vietnam War were Brock Elliott, Charles White, Fredrick Lopez, William McJimsey, David Gore, Jesse Rodriguez, Carol Borgen, Jospeh Tafoya, Robert Davenport. Joseph A. Lewis Jr., Bruce Sours, Larry Motley, Jack Landers, James Lowry, W. Grant Uhis, William Morgan, and Gale Butcher.

The Global War on Terror fallen were Charles Palmer II and Michael W. Vegas.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com