Remembering Cupertino's War Veterans

Cupertino doesn’t need a designated day to remember it’s citizens’ contributions to the United States military; Memorial Park is a daily reminder. Within it the statue of Cupertino native son and heroic U.S. Navy SEAL, Matthew Axelson, and his friend and fellow SEAL, James Suh, forever memorialize the men and their contributions.

Axelson, who attended Lincoln, Faria and Kennedy schools and graduated from Monta Vista High School in 1994 was killed in Afghanistan in August 2005. Suh was killed the same day in Operation Red Wing.

A USA Today article describes how Suh’s father, Solomon Suh, is a regular visitor to the memorial who says visiting the bronze scupture brings him "peace."

Memorial Day, which was originally called Decoration Day, is a day to honor those who died in our nation’s service, and today we thank Matthew Axelson, James Suh, and all the others who died at war while serving our country.

One accompanying YouTube video is from the November 11, 2007 dedication ceremony of the statue, and the other is a YouTube tribute to Axelson and his wife, Cindy.