COVID-19 Remembrance Flags at Temecula Duck Pond coming down – Permanent memorial bench and plaque planned
TEMECULA, Calif., — City of Temecula residents will soon notice that the white flags that served as a temporary COVID-19 Remembrance at the Temecula Duck Pond throughout 2021 have begun to disappear, in preparation for an upcoming COVID Remembrance Flag Ceremony.
In their place, the City plans on placing a more permanent place of honor and remembrance with a memorial bench and plaque that will overlook the “reflective space” of the duck pond.
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City officials yesterday announced the pending removal of the flags, saying they will be “honorably removed” over the next several days.
The flags were installed at the City’s popular Duck Pond, at the intersection of Ynez and Rancho California roads, to commemorate the lives of loved ones who died in Temecula or elsewhere due to COVID-19 and as part of the city’s theme for 2021, “Temecula Cares”. Throughout the year, city residents were encouraged to order the customized flags for the city to display and memorialize their lost loved ones.
City of Temecula residents who ordered customized flags to display for loved ones lost during the COVID-19 pandemic are invited to attend a Remembrance Flag Ceremony that will take place in October. The flags, which were a temporary display as part of the City’s 2021 “Temecula Cares” theme, will be replaced in the near future with a permanent memorial bench and plaque.
Temecula residents who requested a customized flag that flew throughout the year are now being invited to receive their loved one’s flag in person during a COVID Remembrance Flag Ceremony. The event will take place on Thursday, October 21st at 7pm at the Temecula City Hall.
Temecula Mayor Maryann Edwards has said the purpose of the proposed memorial bench and plaque “is to recall how the citizens of Temecula withstood the hardships of the ongoing worldwide coronavirus pandemic and public health crisis.”
“We will never forget how strong our City stood amid this difficult and historic time,” said Edwards; adding, “We are stepping into the future with kindness and determination in our hearts; and this bench will give us all a moment and place to pause and reflect.”
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Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.