THE WALL OF FACES

Arturo is buried at Guadalupe Cemetery in Guadalupe, CA. BSM PH-OLC

PFC Arturo Carrasco and ten other Santa Maria High School graduates have been memorialized in a display case located in the administration building at Santa Maria High School in Santa Maria, CA. Their images were placed there decades ago and have recently been moved to a main corridor in a new exhibit. This exhibit includes rubbings of their names from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. in addition to the names of 18 others who lost their lives in Vietnam. This newly located display will remind students, staff, and other passersby each day of the tremendous sacrifice these young men made for their country.

It is said a man hasn't died as long as he is remembered. This prayer is a way for families, friends and fellow veterans to remember our fallen brothers and sisters. Do not stand at my grave and weep I am not there, I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning hush, I am the swift, uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight, I am the stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there, I did not die

I am a student at Gridley High School in Gridley, Illinois. As part of a class project I would like to recognize that your sacrifice for this country has truly been a great one, and I want you to know that you have not been forgotten. As your name lives on, etched upon this monument, so will your loyalty, honor, and courage. Your act of bravery in the service of your country will never cease to inspire young Americans like myself.