Lancaster honors fallen Heroes at annual Memorial Day ceremony

LANCASTER, Calif. — Community members gathered at the Veterans Court of Honor in Lancaster Cemetery on May 26, 2025, for the annual Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony — a solemn tribute to the men and women who gave their lives in service to the nation.

Members of the Marine Corps League, Detachment #930 present the colors during the pledge of allegiance at the Lancaster Cemetery annual Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony on May 26, 2025

Hosted by the Antelope Valley Cemetery District, the event featured a moving program of remembrance and reflection. The Marine Corps League Detachment #930, led by John Graves, opened the ceremony with the Presentation of Colors. Joan Enguita Willingham, a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, performed the national anthem, followed by an invocation from Pastor Marc Scarborough.

Dignitaries from the City of Lancaster offered opening remarks, reaffirming the city’s commitment to honoring its veterans. Members of the AV Cemetery District Board of Trustees — Dave Owens, Christine Ward, and Steve Baker — placed a ceremonial wreath symbolizing the circle of life. The Antelope Valley Blue Star Mothers honored each branch of the military with individual wreaths.

Local youth also took part in the tribute. Little Miss Antelope Valley Sophia, Young Miss Antelope Valley Aubree, and Tiny Miss Antelope Valley Emma presented floral bouquets to be laid at three memorial plaques on behalf of the Board of Trustees.

A highlight of the morning was the Bell Ceremony, conducted by U.S. Navy Vietnam veteran Phil Roberts and Cemetery District Manager Lin Blanco. The ceremony honored nine veterans who passed away or were interred after Memorial Day 2024, including longtime community member and Blue Star Mother Ida Ketchum.

This year’s keynote speaker was Phillip Ketchum, son of Ida Ketchum and a 27-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserve. He currently serves as a civil servant with the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center at Edwards Air Force Base.

Ketchum spoke about the origins of Memorial Day, “Let us not forget those individuals that died and did so in defense of what they thought the United States should hold sacred,” he said.

Antelope Valley Blue Star Mothers Chapter 13 placed the military service wreaths on a memorial casket at the Lancaster Cemetery annual Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony on May 26, 2025.

Ketchum also shared the story of the Andrews Raiders of April 1862 — also known as the Great Locomotive Chase. The Union raiders who stole a Confederate engine, The General, did not anticipate the train’s conductor pursuit, underestimated the traffic on the rail lines, and the impact of wet April wood on their ability to keep the steam engine running.

When they ran out of fuel, they abandoned The General and fled into the woods. Eight of the raiders were captured, tried as spies, and hanged.

Ketchum noted that had the mission succeeded, the Civil War might have been significantly shortened, potentially preventing many major battles. “Just think of the lives that were lost because they failed,” he said.

One of the Andrews Raiders who received the Medal of Honor was Sgt. Maj. Marion A. Ross of the U.S. Army — Ketchum’s great-great-uncle.

The ceremony concluded with heartfelt gratitude for those who made the ultimate sacrifice and a renewed commitment to honoring their memory.