Ceremony in Santa Maria commemorates 80th anniversary of Pearl Harbor attack

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - A solemn ceremony in Santa Maria was held Tuesday morning to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

A veterans honor guard presented the American flag and colors before a large crowd of all ages, including students from St. Mary's School.

They assembled next to the Santa Maria Freedom Monument Veterans Memorial at the Abel Maldonado Youth Center.

Speakers included a Vandenberg Space Force Base commander and Mayor Alice Patino.

"People of my age, we were protected from the horrors that were Pearl Harbor, we went on with our lives as our friends and neighbors went off to war to save and protect our way of life," said former Mayor and Veteran Larry Lavagnino, who also spoke at the event.

This is also the 20th anniversary of the Freedom Monument Veterans Memorial. It honors all those who lost their lives serving the country