About 250 people gathered outside the Central Coast Veterans Memorial Museum in San Luis Obispo on Wednesday morning for its annual Veterans Day event, honoring local veterans and giving younger generations a chance to hear their stories of service.
The event, held in partnership with American Legion Post 66, brought together veterans, their families and community members.
If you come visit the museum, youll see its a very long history of veterans in the area, and so we just wanted to come out and support our veterans, said Max Langmead, a student intern with the Central Coast Veterans Memorial Museum.
The event opened with a ceremony recognizing seven veterans with ties to the Central Coast.
Among those honored was Arroyo Grande resident Matthew Peter Gallagher, whose connection to the military began long before his own service.
Im what they call a ‘Navy brat.’ I was born and raised in the military, Gallagher said.
Following in his fathers footsteps, Gallagher put his studies at Cal Poly on hold in 1967 to join the Navy. He spent the next seven years serving aboard submarines, with assignments taking him overseas.
For Gallagher, Veterans Day is not only a time to recognize military service but also an opportunity to celebrate the bonds formed among those who served.
I like that concept that were sharing in each other’s success and remembering those that we served with that are not here anymore, Gallagher said.
After leaving the Navy, Gallagher went on to serve as mayor of Arroyo Grande and remains involved in the local submarine veteran community.
While veterans like Gallagher reflected on their years of service, a younger generation also had the opportunity to learn from their experiences.
Members of the Central Coast Division of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps attended the event and said hearing directly from veterans gives them a greater appreciation for military service.
I think its really amazing that all these people can come out and you can just honor the people that gave their life for serving, said League Cadet Kelsey Whitaker.
Sea Cadet Dustin Whitaker said younger people can learn from veterans by listening to their experiences.
Listen to what they have to say so that you can be inspired to go out and carry on that legacy, he said.