BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — After the suicide bomb attack in Kabul, hundreds of lives were lost including 13 us service members.
Since then, families, businesses, and communities across the nation and here in Kern County have made tributes.
Support for the military here in Kern is vast, leading several businesses across the county to pay honor to the 13 servicemembers lost.
Cornerstone Bakery owner, Jennifer Mebane, has put up a tribute with 13 candles and red white blue cookies she said her customers have responded to the memorial.
“You know it kind of just, it hit them in the heart like oh wow thank you so much for showing your appreciation to our military,” said Mebane.
Mebane said it’s moments like that fill her heart with joy. Although never in the military she does come from a law enforcement family and felt that it was extremely important to honor the troops past and present.
“We actually had a very nice customer come in this morning. She’s a veteran and she's currently a police officer and she came in and the first thing she looked at this and she said thank you, thank you for doing this. She told me that she served in Iraq and currently a police officer and she just said thank you from the bottom of my heart it’s good to see businesses support our military like that,” said Mebane.
Fellow veteran and owner of Portrait of a Warrior, Jason Geiss, agreed with that sentiment
“I think that it’s um honorable and I think that its poignant that restaurants like Sonder or Sorellas or the bakery that are doing things to acknowledge that they understand that’s a great loss,” said Geiss.
Those were just a few restaurants here in Kern paying tribute: Saddle Sore Saloon, Chuys, and the Firehouse on Calloway also reserved a table with 13 beers for the fallen soldiers.
Geiss said these small gestures mean the world to him and to those who have served.
“It has an important impact on all Iraq and Afghanistan or post 9/11 veterans in this community,” said Geiss.
Mebane said that what’s going on in Afghanistan is heartbreaking
“It hurts, it’s very sad, it’s very sad to see that and see our US service members involved in that. At this point it hurts us at home it hurts our country and um you know that’s why we just wanted to pay tribute to those that are fighting for us,” said Mebane.
Mebane said the Cornerstone Bakery tribute will be up until Saturday.
