SOMERSET, Texas – Flying high above his headstone are the flags Michael Barrera fought to protect.
“Our flag doesn’t wave with the wind, it waves with the breath of every young man, young women, men, women who have died protecting it,” Hilda Guardiola, his mother, said.
Barrera died in 2003 while serving his country in Iraq. His story is one of thousands being remembered on Memorial Day.
Guardiola said Memorial Day is a time “to remember all those who gave their life to protect our freedoms.”
Guardiola and her husband spent Monday next to Michael, at a cemetery near Somerset. Others, like Tom Cole, used memories to remember friends and loved ones.
“These are the 10 or 15 guys that I was with that died over in Vietnam, and I keep it with me,” Cole said while reading a piece of note paper he unfolded from his pocket.
Fred Alvarado is a Vietnam veteran.
“We lost so many guys out there, and we’re all young,” Alvarado said. “I don’t want those guys to be forgotten.”
Remembering those who served the country doesn’t stop after Memorial Day. Somerset ISD named an elementary school after Barrera. Guardiola said she’s proud of her son’s legacy after his death.
“They’re not tears of sadness, they’re tears of joy that his memory is still alive,” Guardiola said.
Read also:
Copyright 2025 by KSAT – All rights reserved.