Gold Star mom visits Ivy Lawn on quieter Memorial Day

VENTURA, Calif.

The family of a Marine killed in action in Iraq in 2004 is used to attending a large Memorial Day ceremony at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura, but this year the event was canceled due to the coronavirus.

The flashing sign at the park entrance reads "Visit at your own risk."

Lance Cpl. Nicholas Anderson was buried at the park at the request of his father.

His stepmother Lisa Anderson is a Gold Star mom who runs military marathons in honor of Nicholas, year after year.

"Gold Star families like myself , we honor our loved ones everyday, and so Memorial Day is everyday to us, so that never changes, What I am hopeful for today is that people actually take a moment and think about the sacrifices men and women before us have taken to make sure we have our freedoms everyday," said Anderson.

Anderson who went to high school in Las Vegas was fatally wounded protecting his platoon.