On December 08, 2021, the Orange County Board of Supervisors and over 200 people attended a groundbreaking Flag One ceremony at a Gypsum Canyon cemetery location for veterans. Almost 250 people attended the ceremony, where some of them unfurled a big US flag and planted a flagpole. In it, the National Chaplain – American Gold Star Mothers hosted a prayer for the fallen service people and veterans who would be laid to rest in the site. For your information, the National Chaplain represents the mother of every man and woman killed in duty.
Clad in a white outfit, Elaine Brattain took charge of an invocation that contained the following Biblical verse.
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’
Brattain stated that we would walk among the stone garden and realize that America’s daughters and sons who were ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for freedom lay below them. Brattain underlined what each color in the US flag signifies. In the flag, white stands for innocence and purity; red represents valor and hardiness; and blue signifies perseverance, justice and vigilance. Expecting people to remember the symbolic meaning of the colors in the flag, Brattain stated that all flags would cover US veterans.
There has not been any association of the Gypsum Canyon-based cemetery project with California. However, Vietnam Combat veteran and Veterans Alliance of Orange County President Nick Berardino stated that the ceremony to signify the last resting place of Gypsum Canyon veterans is almost official.
Berardino stated while the finalization of legislation should happen, the California State Legislature realizes that the Orange County community wants the cemetery constructed in the Gypsum Canyon area. Berardino also stated that the local veterans community would not move away from the hilly area.
After years of discussion in Irvine city, which voted for the new location, the cemetery at Gypsum Canyon for veterans quickly got the backing of OC supervisors. Earlier this year, Orange County set aside $20 million for the proposed veterans cemetery project.
There is more legislative backing from Senate Member Tom Umberg. Assemblyman Tom Daly and Umberg introduced amendments to SB 43 on December 08, 2021, which will let California’s Veterans Association work with Anaheim city to do feasibility studies about the proposed location.
Umberg stated that discovering the best location for the cemetery in California has been an important yet cumbersome part of the process. After talks with CalVet representatives, that a new potential location would require a comprehensive state analysis and examination has become obvious. Umberg also stated that he is thrilled about the county making a monetary commitment toward the process and its veterans. Umberg is also happy to utilize Senate Bill 43 for the feasibility study.
In a recent Irvine Weekly interview, Councilor Larry Agran stated that he expects a prolonged timeline for research on the feasibility of the project and its approval.
Agran stated that there is an attempt to vacate the ARDA location and move the Canyon site cemetery, despite a lack of research on the site. Agran reckons that it is likely to take at least two or three years for the site to get the required approvals.
Over 30 Orange County city councils voted for the site, but Agran made the lone vote against choosing the location in OC during the recent voting procedure in Irvine.