Veterans Day: Clovis honors Valley veterans with day full of events

CLOVIS, Calif. -- Several events were held in Clovis on Veterans Day in honor of those who have served our country

Hundreds of veterans gathered for a pancake breakfast in Clovis to foster a common bond over their shared time serving the country they love.

"It doesn't matter your rank, rate, or service because we're all one group. We're all veterans, that doesn't matter if you'd have three weeks in the Military or 30 years. We're all the same," said Cristofer Thrailkill, a retired US Navy and US Air Force servicemember.

Close to 700 veterans met at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District.

Along with the breakfast buffet, the day's events also featuring a patriotic concert, vintage car show, as well as a moving photo exhibit.

The event bringing together the next generation of service members and veterans past.

"You have the Junior ROTC, Boy Scouts, you have young Marines, you have the Navy cadets. You have everybody here. They're all going to help. Because what we're trying to do now is have the veterans mingle with people and actually get out and enjoy the day," said Thrailkill.

You may have never heard of their stories or not even know their names, but the faces of Valley veterans are all around us.

For some, their passion to serve is ingrained in their DNA."

"I come from a long line of military. My first veterans were in the Revolutionary War. So I have people that have fought in all the wars all the way up," said John Cline, a Vietnam Veteran and combat medic.

Step into the Faces of Our Veterans exhibit and you'll see a photo depicting a then 20-year-old Cline serving as a combat medic in Vietnam in 1969.

The image conjuring a mix of emotions.

"Some of the feelings, it stirs up very disturbing things for me. Things that I don't like to remember a lot of times, but then I remember the comradery and the unification that we all had because we were just doing our jobs," said Cline.

For news updates, follow Christina Lopez on Facebook, X and Instagram.