27-05-2025
Memorial Day ceremony in SLO County honors fallen military members with flyover
American flags fluttered softly in the breeze at the Paso Robles District Cemetery on Monday, where more than 250 people gathered to honor fallen servicemembers at a Memorial Day Ceremony.
The audience was filled with people of all ages, from gray-haired veterans to the young scouts who led the flag salute.
The Cuesta College Chorus opened the ceremony with the national anthem, and the Estrella Warbirds flew over the cemetery. Col. Dan Dow, who is also the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney, gave a speech at the event.
During the ceremony, Leo Castillo, an Iraq veteran and Paso Robles Veterans of Foreign Wars Post commander, wiped tears from his eyes as he remembered his fallen friend, Michael Mitchell.
'It's meaningful to me specifically because I had a friend that I lost when I was overseas,' he said of the ceremony.
The pair served together in Iraq in 2003 and 2004. Mitchell was killed in action on April 4, 2004.
'He was about two months away from getting married, and he was only in his mid-twenties, so it was one of those things where life was robbed from him,' Castillo said.
Castillo named his son in memory of his friend.
'He volunteered to go on that mission, so he did that on his own accord — which is honestly the biggest sacrifice anyone can make for others,' Castillo said. 'That means a lot to me, to this day, and means a lot to my children.'
See photos from the ceremony below:
