On a gloomy and misty Saturday morning, dozens of people from all over San Diego came together to honor the memory of a local fallen soldier. The start point was at the California Bicycle shop on La Jolla Boulevard where people lined up with their bikes and packed them with flowers to bring them to Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.
The Bouquet Ride was started by the Millard family in honor of Corporal Gregory "Shortie" Millard, who died while deployed to Iraq in 2007. He was born and raised in San Diego.
"When 9/11 hit, he was on his way to school and realized that he really wanted to serve his country and defend his country because it really upset him," said Jill Millard, the mother of Corporal Millard.
Corporal Millard was first deployed to Iraq in 2003. It wasn't until four years later that he would lose his life overseas.
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"On a patrol in Iraq in 2007 where there was a culvert bomb that detonated and so it killed three of the young men in his Humvee and two were severely injured. So that was Memorial weekend in 2007," said Millard.
That was 17 years ago. His brother, Jason Millard, started the Bouquet Ride to honor his sacrifice and keep his brother's memory alive. For the Millard family, Memorial Day has taken on a whole meaning.
"Most people that celebrate Memorial Day don't really know its true meaning until it hits ya'. We unfortunately were a family that had hit us directly. But I think most people, unless they have that direct contact with somebody that has passed in the military, they really don't understand. This event really has opened the eye for a lot of people to do the true meaning of Memorial Day," said Millard.
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The Bouquet Ride first started in 2020, four years ago. The Millards said it first started with about eight people making the journey from La Jolla to Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in Point Loma. Fast forward to today, and the event has garnered the participation of roughly 200 people, all of whom come out every year to show their support for Corporal Gregory Millard.
"The first year I was here, they're telling all their customers, they're advertising it in their newsletter, and that's the first time I had actually heard that they had lost their son/brother. So, of course, I had to do it," said Todd Enneking, who has been a long time customer at California Bicycle.
The Millards, who own California Bicycle, told NBC 7 that this event has grown beyond anything they could have ever imagined. For them, this is just one way the family has kept the memory of their fallen family member alive.
On Monday, Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery will hold a Memorial Day Service and Day of Remembrance at 10 a.m., and the Millard family has been invited to attend.
