An annual Memorial Day observance was held at Soldier Field, overlooking a serene Monterey Bay, May 24.

Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Monterey Sailors stood proudly alongside their fellow Soldiers, Airmen, and Marines to pay their respects to fallen service members while a joint service color guard presented the colors.

A plaque was displayed with the names of fallen service members who served at the Presidio of Monterey, making the ceremony personal to the audience. A moment of silence took place for those whose names are inscribed upon it.

"It was humbling to see the future of our Armed Forces standing in formation as one honoring those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our nation and our freedoms," said Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Michalowicz, executive officer of IWTC Monterey. "To be able to observe this holiday with the Gold Star Families in attendance was an honor and I thank each and every one of them for their sacrifice."

The morning of the observance, IWTC Monterey chiefs placed American flags at the gravesites of veterans at the Presidio of Monterey Cemetery. In addition to a solemn act of remembrance, the chiefs do this to remind IWTC Sailors of the true importance of this holiday before the start of the long weekend.

Chief Information Systems Technician Christopher Stanley said, "I took this opportunity to reflect on our ancestral heroes and ask for their guidance as I continue to progress as a Sailor and a leader."

IWTC Monterey, as part of the Center for Information Warfare Training, provides a continuum of foreign language training to Navy personnel, which prepares them to conduct information warfare across the full spectrum of military operations.

For more on Information Warfare Training Command Monterey, visit http://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/ciwt/IWTCmonterey/ and http://www.monterey.army.mil/Service_Units/IWTC_Monterey.html, or find them on Facebook.

For more news from Center for Information Warfare Training, visit www.navy.mil/local/cid/, http://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/ciwt/, http://www.facebook.com/NavyCIWT, or http://www.twitter.com/NavyCIWT.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Center for Information Warfare Training, visit www.navy.mil/.