Gallery: Fourth of July celebration highlights include renaming Lemoore City Park

Photos by Gary Feinstein/Feinsteinfotos

The official ceremony also managed to elicit a few tears.

Prompted by a request from American Legion Post 100, Lemoore's city leaders recently approved the name change to Veteran's Park, honoring all those who served their country as a member of the armed forces.

The morning came complete with a series of speeches from American Legion President Randy McCord and a special guest speaker, Afghanistan Army veteran Fidel Bobadilla, who with his wife and children present, delivered an emotional address highlighting his love for his country and his service, which included a stint in Afghanistan.

It was there that the young man from Riverdale, who lives in Hanford now, lost both of his legs when his Stryker vehicle was hit by an IED (explosive device) on June 2, 2011. Bobadilla, desperately attempting to hold back tears, said one soldier was killed and everyone else in the Stryker unit injured, including Bobadilla, who lost both of his legs.

Bobadilla is a regular patron of the Lemoore Recreation Center where he works out with CrossFit and other recreational activities. He rehabilitated in Walter Reed Hospital before returning the Central Valley.

McCord told the small crowd that he and his American Legion partners were pleased with Lemoore’s decision to rename the park in honor of veterans. “We’re very proud to be here,” he said. “It is our hope that when people come by here that they think of the veterans.”