The Phelan Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9415, located at 4892 Nielson Road, welcomes the Tri-Community to attend its annual Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 26, 2025. The event will begin at 11 a.m. with the raising of the American flag by Boy Scout Troop 351.
Following the flag ceremony, the Serrano High School Choir will perform a patriotic medley. The ceremony will also include a formal flag retirement presented by the Boy Scouts, a tradition held each year on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Community members who have worn or damaged U.S. flags in need of retirement may drop them off at any time in the designated flag depository—an old mailbox located at the front of the VFW hall.
The event will conclude with a community potluck lunch. Attendees are encouraged to bring a dish to share. All members of the public are invited to participate in honoring local veterans and remembering those who gave their lives in service to the country.
In addition to the Memorial Day ceremony, members of the VFW and its Auxiliary will be distributing red remembrance poppies in front of the Stater Bros. market in Phelan from May 23 through May 26 at various times. The poppy has long served as a symbol of the sacrifices made by members of the military and remains a central part of Memorial Day observances across the nation.
The tradition of wearing a red poppy originated from the World War I poem “In Flanders Fields,” written by Canadian physician Lt. Col. John McCrae on May 3, 1915. McCrae was inspired to write the poem after presiding over the funeral of fellow soldier and friend Alexis Helmer, who died in battle during the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium. The poem helped establish the poppy as a lasting emblem of remembrance and hope.
The VFW encourages all residents of the Tri-Community to take part in this solemn occasion and to reflect on the meaning of Memorial Day as a time to honor the brave men and women who have served and sacrificed for the nation.
