FROM THE CALIFORNIA VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL. RUNNING HIS FINGER OVER THE ETCHED INSCRIPTIONS. SPECIALIST FOR GAINES MANUAL L 21 U.S. ARMY. THAT’S THE NAME PHIL RIOS SEEKS TO FIND ON THESE SACRED WALLS IN WHICH HOLD OVER 5600 NAMES ON MANTHEY ROAD BIRTHDAY AND THE DAY HE DIED. I COME OUT HERE AT 3:00 IN THE MORNING AND I GIVE A ROSE, AND I SIT THERE AND I TALK TO DANIEL LIN, THE COLLIER U.S. ARMY DEDICATED IN THE LATE 80S. THIS MONUMENT HOLDS THE NAMES OF CALIFORNIA, VIETNAM VETERANS WHO MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE. THESE WALLS, NOW A LIVING MONUMENT, CONTINUING THEIR LEGACY. SPECIALIST. FOURTH CLASS CHARLES CLARK. HELPING THOSE LIKE RIOS COPE WITH THEIR SURVIVOR’S GUILT. RIOS AND 11 OF HIS FRIENDS WERE SENT TO FIGHT IN THE VIETNAM WAR. RIOS WAS THE ONLY ONE TO RETURN HOME. I THINK IT’S A PLACE OF HEALING, A PLACE, HE REFLECTS ON THE MEMORIES THEY ALL ONCE SHARED. WE GREW UP TOGETHER, 11 GUYS WHO DIED FROM KINDERGARTEN, JUNIOR HIGH, HIGH SCHOOL, TRACK SPORTS, FOOTBALL, DOUBLE DATING, DRIVE INS, LEARNING THE STEPS FROM DICK CLARK’S AMERICAN BANDSTAND, CONTINUING TO BREATHE LIFE INTO MEMORY. LANCE CORPORAL LEONARD CHARLES BURRIS DURING THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. LCPL. ANTHONY. PHIL CHRISTOPHER, U.S. MARINE CORPS BEACH, CALIFORNIA, VIETNAM VETERANS NAME IS RECITED UFC. JOSEPH, U.S. ARMY A TRADITION RIOS STARTED 26 YEARS AGO. SF ONE ROBERT HOWARD BURGESS, U.S. NAVY. EACH LIFE A STARK REMINDER FREEDOM IS NOT FREE. DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE CALIFORNIANS WHO DIED OR REMAIN MISSING IN THE VIETNAM WAR BECAUSE ALL GAVE SOME. AND SOME GAVE ALL. WELCOM
Memorial Day tradition honors California’s fallen Vietnam veterans at Capitol Park
Updated: 6:19 PM PDT May 24, 2026
A solemn Memorial Day weekend tradition took place at Sacramento’s Capitol Park, where the names of California service members lost in the Vietnam War were once again spoken aloud, breathing life into their memory.Among those visiting the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial was Phil Rios, president of Chapter 500 of the Vietnam Veterans of America, who came to find the name of his friend, Specialist 4 Manuel L. Gines, etched into the monument’s sacred walls.“On Manuel’s birthday, and the day he died, I come out here at 3 o’clock in the morning, and I give a rose and I sit there, and I talk to Manuel,” Rios said.Dedicated in the late 1980s, the memorial bears more than 5,600 names of California Vietnam veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice or remain missing in the war. For many families, friends and fellow veterans, it has become not only a place of remembrance, but also a place of healing.Rios said the memorial helps him cope with the survivor’s guilt he has carried for decades. He and 11 of his friends were sent to fight in Vietnam. He was the only one who returned home.“I think it’s a place of healing,” Rios said. For 26 years, Rios has helped carry on the tradition of reciting each California Vietnam veteran’s name during Memorial Day weekend, ensuring their sacrifice is never forgotten.The memorial stands as a lasting tribute to those Californians who died or remain missing in the Vietnam War and as a reminder that freedom comes at a cost. Organizers with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial said they hope younger generations will help continue the legacy of remembrance. Those interested in getting involved can email Erin Heft at erin.heft@hearst.com.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel | Make KCRA a preferred news source in Google
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
A solemn Memorial Day weekend tradition took place at Sacramento’s Capitol Park, where the names of California service members lost in the Vietnam War were once again spoken aloud, breathing life into their memory.
Among those visiting the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial was Phil Rios, president of Chapter 500 of the Vietnam Veterans of America, who came to find the name of his friend, Specialist 4 Manuel L. Gines, etched into the monument’s sacred walls.
“On Manuel’s birthday, and the day he died, I come out here at 3 o’clock in the morning, and I give a rose and I sit there, and I talk to Manuel,” Rios said.
Dedicated in the late 1980s, the memorial bears more than 5,600 names of California Vietnam veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice or remain missing in the war. For many families, friends and fellow veterans, it has become not only a place of remembrance, but also a place of healing.
Rios said the memorial helps him cope with the survivor’s guilt he has carried for decades. He and 11 of his friends were sent to fight in Vietnam. He was the only one who returned home.
“I think it’s a place of healing,” Rios said.
For 26 years, Rios has helped carry on the tradition of reciting each California Vietnam veteran’s name during Memorial Day weekend, ensuring their sacrifice is never forgotten.
The memorial stands as a lasting tribute to those Californians who died or remain missing in the Vietnam War and as a reminder that freedom comes at a cost.
Organizers with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial said they hope younger generations will help continue the legacy of remembrance. Those interested in getting involved can email Erin Heft at erin.heft@hearst.com.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel | Make KCRA a preferred news source in Google