May 26: Mojave remembered the the fallen on this Memorial Day, in the Mojave Cemetery. The event was organized by Mojave’s own Cathy Hansen, and featured speakers Doug Clipperton, of the Mojave Chamber of Commerce, Flora Belle Reece, who transported fighter planes across the country in WWII, and Captain Todd Quelet, a Civil Affairs Officer and veteran of Afghanistan. Mr. Clipperton described the sacrifices that that his father endured as a B-17 pilot in WWII, and the hundreds of pilots lost in service to their cause. Ms Reece described the events of Pearl Harbor through the eyes of Admiral Nimitz, and despite the thousands of lives lost, how the United States emerged from that tragedy with remarkable luck, perseverance and determination.

CPT Quelet commemorated  the service men and women and civilians who have given their last full measure of devotion in the service of their country in Iraq and Afghanistan. He explained how they died promoting “American” values abroad, but that these values are so universal that they transcend any one country, and belong to the world. CPT Quelet went on to call on the living to honor the dead by continuing their work here at home by investing in our own communities. (To see a video of the speech click here.)