Memorials pay tribute to 2015 terror attack victims in San Bernardino

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
·3 min read
The “Curtain of Courage Memorial” located at the San Bernardino County Government Center pays tribute to those who died during a terror attack nearly seven years ago at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino.
The “Curtain of Courage Memorial” located at the San Bernardino County Government Center pays tribute to those who died during a terror attack nearly seven years ago at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino.

Officials with the County of San Bernardino and California State University, San Bernardino, will host events to honor the lives lost during the Dec. 2, 2015, terrorist attack at the county’s Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino.

The attack involved a couple storming the center, fatally shooting 14 people, and wounding 22 others during a holiday party and San Bernardino County Environmental Health Services staff meeting.

The public is invited to join county employees in observing a moment of remembrance at 10:55 a.m. on Friday on the county’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram platforms.

Flags at all county facilities will be flown at half-mast on Friday. County officials ask those who fly an American flag at home or their place of work to also lower their flags on Friday in honor of those who were killed during the attack.

The public is also invited to visit the Curtain of Courage Memorial on the east side of the County Government Center at 385 North Arrowhead Ave. in San Bernardino.

The memorial permanently honors the victims, survivors, and first responders from that tragic day.

Members of the December 2nd Memorial Committee on June 17 unveiled the permanent memorial, which includes the names of the men and women who died in 2015.

The Curtain of Courage comprises mesh panels cast with different colored glass pieces. The panels simulate the curvature of a curtain. According to memorial designer Walter Hood, they are situated around sitting areas to create a place of healing and reflection by evoking an image of a prism’s eternal sparkle.

The county government family will never forget the 14 souls, including 13 county Environmental Health and Public Health employees, who were killed and those wounded physically and emotionally, SBC officials said.

Those who died include:

  • Shannon Johnson, 45, Los Angeles

  • Bennetta Bet-Badal, 46, Rialto

  • Aurora Godoy, 26, San Jacinto

  • Isaac Amanios, 60, Fontana

  • Larry Kaufman, 42, Rialto

  • Harry Bowman, 46, Upland

  • Yvette Velasco, 27, Fontana

  • Sierra Clayborn, 27, Moreno Valley

  • Robert Adams, 40, Yucaipa

  • Nicholas Thalasinos, 52, Colton

  • Tin Nguyen, 31, Santa Ana

  • Juan Espinoza, 50, Highland

  • Damian Meins, 58, Riverside

  • Michael Wetzel, 37, Lake Arrowhead

For those experiencing trauma due to terrorist events, resources are available at sbcounty.gov.

Michael Nguyen, a lecturer in the California State University, San Bernardino teacher education and foundation program, rings the bell at the Peace Garden during a Day of Remembrance to honor those killed during the terrorist attack on Dec. 2, 2015 in San Bernardino.
Michael Nguyen, a lecturer in the California State University, San Bernardino teacher education and foundation program, rings the bell at the Peace Garden during a Day of Remembrance to honor those killed during the terrorist attack on Dec. 2, 2015 in San Bernardino.

Cal State San Bernardino

The College of Natural Sciences at Cal State San Bernardino will host the annual Day of Remembrance event at 3 p.m. on Friday at the Peace Garden.

The event will honor the 14 individuals — including five Department of Biology and Department of Health Science alums — killed during the San Bernardino mass shooting.

The Peace Garden, located on the south side of the Chemical Sciences Building, was planted in memory of the fallen alums.

As part of the solemn proceedings, a bell will be rung 14 times to mark each victim.

“Each year, we take time to honor the lives that touched so many other lives both here on our campus and beyond,” said Sastry G. Pantula, dean of the college. “We stand together with the families and loved ones to mark this occasion as a time for reflection, solidarity, and support to one another.”

To attend the on-campus event, please register beforehand by searching Day of Remembrance 2022 at csusb.edu.

The Day of Remembrance will honor all those killed and memorialize the following college alums who also died.

  • Adams, public health education, 2011

  • Espinoza, biology, 2002

  • Johnson, environmental health science, 2004

  • Velasco, environmental health science, 2013

  • Wetzel, biology, 2001

The Peace Garden features a five-sided pedestal topped by a bell, with each side featuring a plaque with each alum's name and degree information.

“We will cherish our alumni and all the lives lost in our hearts in peace,” Pantula said.

College faculty and staff, university leadership, and surviving family members and loved ones of the alums traditionally attend the event.

Cal State San Bernardino is located at 5500 University Parkway in San Bernardino.

For more information about the event, contact Yolanda Thomas at cns@csusb.edu or 909-537-5300.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Memorials pay tribute to 2015 terror attack victims in San Bernardino