Michael Crane | Uptown News

More than just a three-day weekend and the unofficial start to summer, Memorial Day is the time to remember the hundreds of thousands who gave the ultimate sacrifice to defend American freedoms. That remembrance was made a little more complete this year when the San Diego LGBT Community Center hosted the first Memorial Day ceremony at the Hillcrest Pride Flag.

Active service members, veterans and local civilians gathered at the intersection of University Avenue and Normal Street for the short ceremony on May 26, which was coordinated by The Center and the San Diego County Office of Veterans Services. Veterans reflected on comrades who never made it home and spoke on the importance of honoring their memory every year.

The military’s long ban on LGBT service members was still fresh in the minds of those who attended.

“We didn’t really care why everyone thought we should be there, we cared that we were there, and that our comrades were there, that our brothers were there,” said Sean McHugh, a hospital corpsman in the Navy who served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. “That’s the reason I was there. I know that when I’m there, it’s the guy next to me that I really care about.”

Since the controversial “don’t ask don’t tell” policy was repealed in September of 2011, giving gays and lesbians the authority to finally serve openly, the LGBT Center has worked with the County Veterans Service Office to honor veterans in the community and help them apply for benefits.

“‘Don’t ask don’t tell’ was [17] years long, so it’s kind of like unraveling the things we couldn’t celebrate before,” said Sean Sala, an Iraq War veteran who helped organize the event. “We couldn’t march in Pride parades, we couldn’t be open about ourselves, or our spouses … and we couldn’t stand in front of a rainbow flag monument and honor service members on Memorial Day.”

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jordan Reckmann sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” to open the ceremony, and he was followed by retired Air Force Master Sgt. Frank Salerno, who shared his story of being shipped off to Vietnam when he was 18 years old. Salerno recalled the loss of close friends and comrades, as well as the hostile welcome he encountered upon returning to the U.S.

“When you see a Vietnam veteran walking around homeless, remember that they were young and confused when they came back, because certainly when we came back, we were not welcomed,” Salerno said. “Talk about going into another double closet. I did. We were not welcomed at all.”

County Veterans Service Officer Tom Splitgerber recalled his time as a dental officer in the Navy and of the patients he lost in the Vietnam War. He also spoke on the importance of raising awareness about getting veterans the help they need. According to Sala, only 20 percent of veterans living in San Diego apply for their benefits.

“For the prisoners of war, those forgotten and those we will never know, our duty today is to remember them and to care for our war-torn veterans, and to the numerous people who have lost friends to PTSD,” Sala said. “We owe them, because although there are many people returning from war right now, 22 veterans a day commit suicide. In 2013, that was a higher number than the casualties in Afghanistan.”

Sala said he hopes the Memorial Day ceremony will become an annual event like The Center’s LGBT Veteran’s Wall of Honor ceremony, which takes place in November near Veterans Day. He said he will also be involved with a Sept. 6 workshop presented by The Center and the County’s Veterans Service Office, which will assist veterans in applying for their benefits.

“I truly believe there’s no better way to honor those who have fallen than to make sure our veterans are taken care of,” said Sala. “Those who have passed on can’t speak, but they are speaking. They are speaking today.”

To learn more about the LGBT Center’s programs for veterans, visit thecentersd.org. The San Diego County Veterans Service Office can be reached at 858-694-3222.