There were 71 solemn singular  tolls of the bell after Vietnam combat veteran Ron Cruz read each name of the 71 Manteca men who had died in far flung wars.

The price that those 71 tolls represented was not lost on Congressman Josh Harder.

Harder, the keynote speaker for the Manteca Memorial Day ceremonies at East Union Cemetery on Monday, urged those in attendance not to squander the sacrifices made.

“Remembering is not enough,” Harder told the gathering.

The congressman said Americans have to build upon those sacrifices to make the country stronger and better.
Harder, whose great-great grandparents are buried at East Union cemetery and whose grandfather that served in Korea and Vietnam and eventually died from complications connected  with Agent Orange, noted there are 480 veterans buried at the cemetery.

They include a veteran who served in the Black Hawk Indian War in 1832 to those that died after serving in the Global War on Terror.

For years, there was thought to be 150 veterans buried at the cemetery. But due to research it was confirmed 480 people buried at East Union cemetery had served in the military dating back to the Civil War and before. The 480 veterans buried there represent 15 percent of the cemetery’s population.

The Manteca Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6311 organized the ceremonies. They are worked in conjunction with American Legion Post 249 to stage the remembrance.

Members of the Boy Scout Troop 422 placed small American flags on all of the graves in advance of the ceremonies.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com