hello and welcome to "comunidad del valle." we have a special memorial day weekend celebration here on our show today. we are honoring the military, pows, and mias with a special missing soldiers ceremony. this is "comunidad del valle." ♪ it's a missing warriors remembrance ceremony here on "comunidad del valle" today. i've seen veteran mike salas perform this on several occasions. it always tugs on your heart and make the hair on the back of your head stand up a little bit. there's a table set here, it's all symbolic. mike will go through the meaning of each item on this table.

i present for you vietnam veteran, mike salas. thank you, mike. >> this memorial day's ceremony is dedicated to the commemoration of american heroism in remembrance of all those captured or lost and to the 142 americans, the sons of san jose, who registered for the armed forces of america in our great city, never to return home from the vietnam war, a place we called nam. the pow, mia, missing warriors table is reserved in memory and in honor of our missing comrades and loved ones, both men and woman, classified as our pow and mia, the prisoners of war and missing in action of all wars,

ordinary men and women who faced an extraordinary call. they are not and will not ever be forgotten. they are the veterans of the land, the air, and the sea, who gave up their tomorrows for our todays. our guardians of freedom, our nation's sword and shield. in the spirit of love, hope, and remembrance, let us embrace their spiritual presence. they were once young men and woman who converted to school books to helmets, from sneakers to combat boot. when war shadowed our country and freedom was threatened, men and woman rolled up their sleeves and answered the call. from g.i. joe to rosie the ri t rivet riveter. from the tractor and plow to jump chutes and parachutes, from the great depression threats to m-1s and bayonets.

to crossing the line in desert sands and patrolling the devastating roads of iraq and afghanistan, young american warriors pressing forward for freedom for her majesty, for family, for old glory, one nation under god, with liberty and justice for all. men and woman across our great nation stood up, left their homes, and valiantly marched forward. and back home, back home, a veteran's guardian angel remains on eternal watch. god sent and responsible for our existence, the one who would rather light a candle than curse the darkness, and what sets her apart is the power of love, embraced within the cradle of her heart. she's an unsung hero who stayed at home, the one who had to spend christmas alone, a hug and a kiss good-bye and then you had to part. you left them with an ache and a

pain in their heart. a blue star banner hangs on the window of a place you called home, a mother, a mother or wife weeps in prayer, she prays on her knees that the blue star doesn't turn to gold and have to live the rest of her life in despair. she reads from the good book at night by the glow of a dim-lit light, and she asked, somewhere over there tonight, we might have thoughts of home. would you just give him my blessing and let him know he's not out there alone? then she weeps into sleep and she dreams. in her dreams, she cries. she gave her country a son, and in return received the stars and stripes when the eulogy was done. the mystical sound of "taps" echoed in the night when all was still, she listened to the lone bugler play and felt a sudden

chill. she awakens. she puts pen to paper and writes a letter to her loved one in afar away land, always dreading a telegram from the western union man. feeling lonely and blue, her eyes tire and well as a lonely tear drop fell, where she wrote, p.s., i love you. she grieves throughout the months and years with heart ache and pain. tired, stressed, and depressed, challenged by the test of time waiting for the day that her son, her daughter, or husband comes home to stay. tell her that life will still go on. show her, lord, that all this darkness will be followed by the dawn. at this very moment, some are entering the unknown, experiencing their very first engagement of war, their baptism

of hailing fire in the perils of hell and valley of death. congressional of army recipient rhetorically defined his experience best by saying there were more bullets in the air than stars in the sky, and for those who fought for it and who are going to fight for it, freedom has a taste the protected will never know, as greater love has no man than to lay down their life. for he today that sheds his blood for me shall be my brother. >> we will conclude this very special ceremony when we continue here on "comunidad del valle." stay with us. ♪

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to god with dignity and reverence is a patriot, a hero and humanitarian around the world. he is the valiant one who defended the constitution of the united states of america during our finest hour. mission driven and a true inspiration to all who seek the right to the pursuit of happiness. soldier, sailor, airman, coast guard, and marine, from all across the land of every race and every creed, leaving an unparalleled saga of courage, valor, and gallantry. stand alone as one they did, stand alone as one no more. protect them, lord, as they protect us until the day they all come home. the pow, mia table is set for five, representing our missing comrades from the five armed

forces of the united states of america. the united states army, the united states marine corps, the united states navy, the united states air force, and the united states coast guard. and remembrance of those young lives and loves captured, missing, or killed, the cry of their spirits continues to be heard, harboring their rages, deprived of their precious freedom, locked up in wire, bamboo, and concrete cages. oppressed by the enemy in the darkness of doom, never to surrender and a passion to live, spiritually driven by the red, white, and blue.

the pow, mia, missing warriors table has many symbols. the table is round, symbolizing our ever-lasting concern for our missing comrades. the table cloth is white, symbolizing the purity of their motives in answering their country's call to arms so that children could remain free and be given a chance. the single red rose displayed in a vase reminds us of the life of each of the missing and their loved ones and friends who continue the faith, awaiting answers and continue the faith, awaiting their return home. the vase is tied with a red ribbon, symbol of our continued determination to account for our missing. a slice of lemon on the bread plate is to remind us of the bitter fate of those captured

and missing in a foreign land. a pinch of salt symbolizes the tears endured by those missing and their families who wait and seek answers. the glasses are inverted to symbolize their inability to share this evening's toast. the bible symbolizes the spiritual strength gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country, founded as one nation under god. the candle, the lone candle, is the eternal light of hope, which lives in our hearts and symbolizes the frailty of a prisoner alone trying to stand up against his oppressors. the napkins, the napkins are black, symbolizing oppression by the enemy in the darkness of doom. they are formed in a triangle fold, life, god, country, and family. and last, the chairs.

the five chairs are empty. young lives barely lived, young loves barely loved. let their hollowed memory be ever burn bright, for they are the caliber by which our great nation is measured. remember their bravery, appreciate their courage, and thank god that they lived. and if tears could build a stairway and memories a lane, we would walk up to heaven, change their fate, and bring them all home again. and now, in memory of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, we present "taps" and the final salute.

♪ ♪ h

good afternoon, we continue our coverage of the golden gate bridge 75th anniversary. much of the activities, beautiful, sunny, and windy out there. if you are among the hundreds of thousands of people heading to the celebration, public transit is your best bet. the bridge will be closed 9:00 to 10:00 tonight for the fireworks display. stay with nbc bay area. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ [ transforming sounds ] [ male announcer ] transformers. the ride. ride it at universal studios hollywood.

we are back here with mike salas on "comunidad del valle" with missing warriors remembrance ceremony. i've seen you several times perform this special ceremony, and only once before did you get a little choked up, here you kind of did it a little bit again. i'd be bawling if i had to read all of that. how do you manage to get through all that? >> in the beginning it was very difficult to get through. you know, it's put together with personal experience, veterans' experiences, and my last visions of my mother when i left home in 1966, but tough, tough. everything in there is factual, and, again, there's stories of veterans, and i'm sure there's stories of every veteran that's out there. we have something similar, and

one thing we do have in common is that brotherhood of giving back and leaving something for those that aren't here with us today, but those that are -- especially those today that are in afghanistan and iraq, the young troops that are be coming home soon. >> thank you for serving and welcome home. >> thank you. >> we had the option of playing "taps," a recorded version of "taps," and you said that's not how we do things. you brought bob alvarado to do this for us. >> absolutely. we don't settle for anything less than a real, live horn player, and bob zillialvarado w trooper. he stepped right in, and this is his way of giving back to the veterans. it all comes under the definition of being something spiritual, but yet in a lyrical, rhythm rhythmical expression.

>> again, give me the symbolism of the lit candle, if you will. >> it represents the eternal light of all those in the hopes that they are still there, you know. there's no guarantee today, but we certainly know that it's possible, that we have many pows out there and mias that are still alive, and that's the hope. >> that's beautiful. i asked you once before, casually, i said mike, can i get a copy of the words to your beautiful presentation, and you said no, and that -- that tells me to how much of a loft you hold those words that are near and dear to you. >> yeah, it's very special. you have it now recorded, right? share it. i want you to share it. it's something, yes, i treasured it. i kept it personal for a long time, but i was -- i was very happy and honored to share it at

several events in the past, and it's always been well accepted and embraced, so now it's time. i do want to share it with everybody and get it out there. it's only my version, too, you know, there's many versions, but this is the one i want to share. >> you are -- this is, of course, the memorial day weekend, you are a veteran of the united states air force. tell us about your pride in serving our country. >> i was in 1966 through 1970. i couldn't be more honored than to serve my country and establish that brotherhood that i did with my friends that i currently am in touch with today, i'm very fortunate, but the bottom line is the reason why we come home safe and alive is because of that fellow next to you. it's instilled in you to take care of that person and he'll take care of you, and hopefully, you'll both come home safe. >> how long did it take you to hear the words "welcome home"?

>> it took me quite a while to really understand what was going on here after returning from a foreign land, but welcome home is, to tell you the truth, damian, i'm just starting to hear it. >> isn't that something? same story, i took my father-in-law, we went to visit the vietnam memorial in washington, d.c., first time he heard it. >> first time. >> how shameful is that that we as a country, as a society, not that we didn't appreciate your service, but that it took us this long to appreciate the sacrifices that you and your family made? >> yeah, yeah. it's -- i can't define it. i know there's a lot of politics involved, but on a personal basis, i'm -- my father was a veteran in world war ii, paratrooper. i come from a veteran, my wife's side of the family are veterans,

marine corps, so i'm surrounded by veterans, but we get together, and we realize the thanks isn't there, the recognition isn't there totally, you know? but we keep flying our colors, we keep marching forward. we're not going to give up. we're going to get the word out there and just not let people forget, and that's what this ceremony is all about. i told you briefly about the bell, the spiritual bell. it was found in the rubble t a flea market. i brought it home, embraced it, called up a nephew of mine who's a retired carpenter suffering from agent orange and arthritis, he can barely move his hands, but i asked him to put this together for me, i told him what it was going to be used for, and without hesitation, he put this beautiful, ceremonial, spiritual bell together. >> the white house needs to see what you're doing here in arlington cemetery, because it's

very, very moving. i had a hard time behind the cameras trying to get through your ceremony, but you're also spearheading a special program, if you will, to help bring a memorial to san jose, and it's on its way. >> it's on its way, in fact, in about an hour and a half i have a meeting with the council today in the city of san jose. the san jose vietnam war memorial foundation, and we are very, very close now to breaking ground in the city of san jose and erecting the monument that's going to honor the 142 american men that registered for the armed forces here in our city and died on vietnam soil. there are 142 of them, 43% are latinos, but all ethnic groups are presented, all of the armed forces are presented, and we're going to get the job done. there's a small group of us, five, but we represent many of the veterans' organizations,

united veterans council, which is all the veteran organizations in the valley. they are supporting us, and we're going to get it done. we're very close. >> good luck. you're flying the colors of the american g.i. forum, obviously, that organization instrumental in getting latino veterans their rights and the services that are due to them. >> yes, yes, absolutely. many of those kids, i know i call them kids, many of those men are high school buddies that never came home, and we just, you know, it's just on and on, we just have so many fine points to justify the fact that it's long overdue. we want this monument, and it's going to fly, and the flag's there. we, of course, the american flag, the pow flag, the city and state flag, we couldn't be honored more than that, and, of course, the hats, we wear many hats, many colored hats.

i'm committed to the american g.i. forum, have been for a long time. my father was an american g.i. forum member in the '60s when it was first coming to town here. the history behind it, the civil rights issue behind it many, many years ago is just one of those organizations that you -- it's great. it's a great organization nationally and locally. i can't say enough about the members as well as what it represents here in town. >> all right, well, thank you so much. if you want to know more about the memorial that mike is working on, there's a website, sjwarmemorial.com. find out about their efforts and how close it is to being erected in san jose. any final thoughts, any message to the viewers out there, mike? >> memorial day is this weekend, please, go out and support your veterans. go to the memorials. there will be many celebrations over the weekend, but just remember -- hard to get out.

when you're at those parties and those barbecues, remember us. >> thank you, mike. thank you for serving, and we'll be back. stay with us.

now here's what's happening in your "comunidad del valle." ♪ ♪

celebrating the special day. and here's next week, drop me an e-mail, also pick up a copy of our newspaper and support your bilingual weekly all across the area. we appreciate you spending part of your sunday with us today. happy memorial day weekend.

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