They gathered in solemn reverence beneath a sea of red, white, and blue—1,000 American flags rippling gently in the breeze at The Park at River Walk in Bakersfield. As the Memorial Day weekend began, so did Thousand Flags, an annual tribute organized by the Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary Club to honor fallen heroes not just with ceremony, but with name, memory, and gratitude.
“They always say a soldier dies twice—once when they fall, and again the last time their name is spoken,” said Kim Price during the event’s emotional opening ceremony. “So we make sure to remember them by their names, especially this weekend.” Her words resonated deeply with the crowd as she introduced local pageant titleholders—young women who earlier that morning had placed flags at the gravesites of their own grandparents, both veterans, at Bakersfield National Cemetery.
Price shared her own family’s legacy of service and reminded the audience that Memorial Day is far more than an excuse for a backyard barbecue. It is a moment for national reflection.
Rev. Angelo Frazier, a pastor at RiverLakes Community Church and chaplain with the Bakersfield Police Department, took the stage to lead the crowd in a poignant gesture. On his count, attendees softly spoke aloud the names of loved ones who served and sacrificed. Then they did it again—each name a sacred echo against the hush of the flag-filled field.
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends,” Frazier quoted from scripture, drawing a powerful parallel between divine sacrifice and the ultimate price paid by American service members. His prayer called for hope, healing, and remembrance—for both the fallen and those left behind.
The Thousand Flags display is more than a visual tribute; it’s a labor of love. For the Rotary Club members who organize it each year, every flag tells a story.
Denise Haynes, who directs the event, described the quiet power of the moments she witnesses. “It’s the man who walks up and asks to place a flag in memory of a friend. The one who kneels before a flag with a handwritten note and a prayer. The stranger who simply says, ‘Thank you.’”
The tribute is marked by pure gestures and powerful symbols: the South High School JROTC raising the flag, Koumba Cariño Diallo’s stirring rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and silent tears falling as families and veterans walk among the rows of fluttering banners. It’s a place where private grief meets public gratitude.
David Lari, president of the Rotary Club, said the organization is honored to offer this tribute to the Bakersfield community year after year. “This is our way of saying thank you—to remember, to reflect, and to serve.”
The weekend-long tribute includes more than remembrance. A concert, barbecue, resource fair, run, and walk are scheduled through Monday, drawing the community together in celebration and reflection.
Mayor Karen Goh brought the ceremony to a heartfelt close by reminding the crowd of one name—Sgt. Larry S. Pierce of Taft, a U.S. Army hero who threw himself on a mine in Vietnam on September 20, 1965, saving the lives of 29 fellow soldiers. He was just 24 years old and left behind a wife, a daughter, and two sons.
“Let us remember that precious price of freedom,” Goh urged. “And let our hearts never forget those who paid it. Let us also remember the families who still carry that sacrifice with them every day.”
As the sun set over the flag-lined field, one message lingered in the air: Remember their names. Speak them aloud. And let our lives honor the freedom they gave everything to secure.
