California Senate adopts SCR 56 designating May 2025 National Military Appreciation Month; reads names of 53 fallen Californians

The California State Senate on May 23, 2025, adopted Senate Concurrence Resolution 56, designating May 2025 as National Military Appreciation Month, and held a ceremonial reading of 53 Californians who died while serving or after returning home.

“Today I rise to present Senate Concurrence Resolution 56, which designates May 25 as National Military Appreciation Month,” said Senator Archuleta, the resolution’s author. “This resolution honors the courage, sacrifice, and unwavering dedication to the men and women who served and continue to serve in our nation's armed forces.”

The resolution passed by roll call, 35-0. After the vote, senators Grove and Menjivar led the chamber in a reading of the names, ranks and home communities of 53 Californians who died in the past year in service-related circumstances or after service. The reading included enlisted and officer ranks across branches; examples read aloud included Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Albert Elias Thuan Margalos of Milpitas, Air Force Senior Airman Raymond Cisneros of San Diego, and Marine Corps Lance Corporal Justin Robert Favor of Orland.

Why it matters: the resolution and the name reading took place on the eve of Memorial Day weekend, and senators framed the action as both a formal recognition and a prompt for constituents to reflect on military service and its costs. Archuleta noted the month’s origins, saying that “since 1999, when Senator John McCain and Representative Duncan Hunter championed the first National Military Appreciation Month, this observance has reminded us of the profound contributions of our military to our great nation.”

Several senators spoke in support before the vote. Senator Grove, a coauthor, urged colleagues to back the measure and said the month “honors over 90,000,000 Americans who bear the weight of service,” and described California’s role in national defense, citing the state’s installations and training ranges. Senator Ochoa Bog said parts of her district are home to major training and testing centers, mentioning the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, the Naval Air Warfare Center at China Lake and Fort Irwin.

Senator Jones described personal family military service and said he appreciated the bipartisan sponsorship and outreach the authors had undertaken, including visits to Marine Corps and Navy installations. Senator Choi offered remarks linking personal gratitude to broader international history, noting the role of U.S. forces in defending the Korean Peninsula.

Senator Grove and Senator Menjivar said the name-reading included service members who died in combat, training, and some who died after returning home while struggling with service-related trauma and mental-health issues. “These are Californians from all over the state that have lost their lives serving our country or after they came home and couldn't deal with the stress of what was going on and what they witnessed,” Grove said.

Adoption and related actions: the Senate voted by roll call on SCR 56; the clerk recorded a 35-0 vote in favor and the President announced the resolution adopted. Later in the same session the Senate approved several consent and special-consent items by a voice/roll-call action (recorded as 35-0), which were not debated on the floor during this session and for which details were not specified during the remarks on the floor.

The floor session concluded with senators urged to observe Memorial Day and with a reminder that the next floor session was scheduled for Tuesday, May 27 at 2 p.m.

Selected quotes from the floor:

“This resolution honors the courage, sacrifice, and unwavering dedication to the men and women who served and continue to serve in our nation's armed forces,” Senator Archuleta said on introducing SCR 56.

“National Military Appreciation Month is more than a gesture. It is a commitment to educate our youth, honor our history, and to support our military families,” Archuleta added.

“These are Californians from all over the state that have lost their lives serving our country or after they came home and couldn't deal with the stress of what was going on and what they witnessed,” Senator Grove said during the name reading.

— Ending —

The Senate recessed for Memorial Day weekend and will reconvene Tuesday, May 27 at 2 p.m., the President said on the floor.