Tender tributes given at Mt. Soledad for the nation’s military veterans

“This isn’t about me. It’s about the fallen.”

Lorenzo Lizarraga of Alpine often said that when people thanked him for the warmth he showed organizing funeral escorts for veterans and first responders. He believed the spotlight should never stray from those who had passed.

This selflessness drew deep praise Saturday at the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial, where a plaque was placed in Lizarraga’s honor, celebrating his work with the SoCal Patriot Guard Riders.

Lizarraga, who served in the Army, was part of the group’s motorcycle escorts for more than a decade, ending with his own death last year at 80. The group “seemed to spark a flame in him and he was soon consumed with patriotism, everything military, and a desire to continue this service,” his widow, Marsha, told dozens of people gathered in morning mist.

“He loved the honor, respect, and camaraderie shown while escorting (people) to their final resting place,” she said.

The Riders aren’t broadly known to the public but they get noticed whenever they appear. Many of them ride colorful motorcycles during their escorts, not to call attention to themselves, but to the person who died.

Saturday’s onlookers included Marine veteran Greg Swanberg of La Jolla, one of Lizarraga’s longtime friends.

“Lorenzo was always able to bring people together and direct us properly,” Swanberg said. “There was a sense of awe about him.”

He added that Lizarraga, a deeply religious person, often spoke at the end of funerals and would say, “This veteran has passed. And as Jesus said on the cross, ‘it is done.’ “

Lizarraga also had an impact on Kaito Kamioka, a 13-year-old bugle player from Mira Mesa who played taps on Saturday.

“I came to understand what taps means by coming to these ceremonies and it means a lot to me,” he said as his father, Atsushi, stood nearby, smiling.

The tribute to Lizarraga was followed by a remembrance of service members who are or were listed as prisoners of war or missing in action in conflicts dating back to World War II. It was presented by VFW Pacific Beach Post 5985.

“It is true that the costs of war extend beyond the last shots being fired,” said Michael Hill, a member of the post. “And for MIA families, the passage of time does not heal their wounds.”

“For them, the days became weeks, the weeks became months and then years. And now, sadly, decades. I cannot imagine the daily loss I would feel if my mother or my father had gone to war and didn’t return.”