Memorial Day

Tomorrow is Memorial Day, and today’s column is devoted to a prose poem by my good friend, 1st Lt. Mike Gray. My deep appreciation for permission to publish this special dedication to all those we honor on Memorial Day. The Silver Boxes No one told me about the silver boxes! It was the fall of 1967. I was in Vietnam, stationed in Saigon and assigned to the 69th Signal Battalion at Ton Son Nhut airbase. Having pulled my first Officer of the Day assignment, one of my duties was to police the main gate at 23:00 hours and pick up any late-returning personnel.

The Memorial Day service in front of the Montrose Vietnam War Memorial on Memorial Day was personal for Councilmember Charles Beatty. He knew three of the soldiers whose names are listed on the monument, working with them at Ralphs grocery store before the Vietnam War. "I miss them," said the Crescenta Valley Town Council member. "I'm so proud of the sacrifice that they made as well as all the other men on our memorial." This was the first time in 12 years that Beatty officiated the ceremony.

To me Memorial Day meant taking flags and flowers out to the cemetery to decorate the graves of veterans. This day was important to my dad, a veteran of the Korean Conflict. He was a commander of the local American Legion and of the Veterans of Foreign Wars posts. My uncle was the state commander of the American Legion, so placing flags and going to local ceremonies was a must in my family. Dad supported veterans all his life. If a vet came home and needed a job, Dad was there to help him. I was always amazed at the quiet relationship between Dad and other vets.

The Pasadena Senior Center will hold a Memorial Day celebration from noon to 2 p.m. on Monday, May 29; doors will open at 11 a.m. The Memorial Day remembrance will begin with a special Vietnam Memorial Tribute in Memorial Park followed by lunch and entertainment at the Pasadena Senior Center located at 85 E. Holly St. The festive lunch menu will feature barbeque hot dogs, hamburgers, Cole slaw, baked beans and fresh fruit. After lunch, guests can join in an old-fashioned sing-a-long of patriotic songs, under the musical direction of Phil Andreen's Trio.

The Foothill region will once again host several services commemorating Memorial Day. All services listed will take place on Monday, May 28. Here is a list of options in the area. Two Strike Park The first ever Memorial Day service at Two Strike Park on Rosemont Avenue will be presented by the Veterans of Foreign Wars 288 and American Legion Post 1614. Those who attend can expect a simple and solemn event. Crescenta Valley High School Jr. ROTC will serve as color guard and GCC student Mary Garcia will be singing "God Bless America."

MONTROSE ? The Memorial Day service in front of the Vietnam War Memorial will go ahead as planned on Monday, but with some significant last-minute changes to the traditional program, organizers said. Art Napiwocki, state budget chairman for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, will not be officiating at the ceremony as he has done for the past 12 years. Instead he will be attending a service in La Cañada Flintridge. Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, including himself, may still attend the Montrose service, Napiwocki said.

W ith Memorial Day upon us, we are a nation at war. If you could give a Memorial Day message, what would it be? As we observe this solemn day, we must remember all the brave men and women in uniform who gave their lives in the service of our country. Today, we are once again a nation at war — and sadly, the conflict in Iraq seems to have no clear end in sight. We find ourselves locked in fierce debate over the war's legitimacy, with the American people sharply divided between supporters and opponents.

On this Me­mori­al Day, the Los Angeles Times and Times Community News pays trib­ute to the Cali­for­nia ser­vice mem­bers who have died in the wars in Afgh­anistan and Ir­aq by pub­lish­ing a se­lec­tion of com­ments pos­ted over the last year by those who knew and loved them. Hun­dreds more can be read on The Times' data­base,  Cali­for­nia's War Dead . These memor­ies speak of friend­ship and loss in a simple and heart­felt way - and re­mind us of the great sac­ri­fices made in ser­vice to this coun­try.

Many of you know that we lost our good friend Larry Zarian on Oct.13. “The People's Mayor,” Zarian served on the Glendale City Council for 16 years. During that time, he helped influence and shape Glendale's future. Although he said the council did not always agree on issues, they respected one another and came together for the good of Glendale. In the nearly 30 years I knew Larry, we often attended many of the same political and social events. He loved talking about Glendale, our Jewel City.

There is a tendency on Memorial Day, even now with U.S. troops stationed across a restive Middle East, to focus on the past. With two World Wars, Vietnam, the Korean War and other military conflicts under our collective belt, there is certainly much to memorialize. But as cities across the nation are starting to realize, an influx of new, younger military veterans returning home from current tours of duty is forcing some adjustments. From Burbank to the Foothills, our local communities have long traditions of honoring those who have served their country in the military.

Nearly a century after James McCloud left Glendale’s Tropico neighborhood for Europe, the city on Monday will honor the World War I veteran by etching his name into marble at the Veterans Memorial outside City Hall. McCloud is one of 50 veterans to be honored Monday, the largest class to be memorialized in a single year since the five marble walls of names were unveiled in 1997. He is the only veteran of the War to End All Wars whose name will be added this year. Glendale’s Memorial Day observance will take place at 9:30 a.m. Monday at Broadway and Isabel Street.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day, and today’s column is devoted to a prose poem by my good friend, 1st Lt. Mike Gray. My deep appreciation for permission to publish this special dedication to all those we honor on Memorial Day. The Silver Boxes No one told me about the silver boxes! It was the fall of 1967. I was in Vietnam, stationed in Saigon and assigned to the 69th Signal Battalion at Ton Son Nhut airbase. Having pulled my first Officer of the Day assignment, one of my duties was to police the main gate at 23:00 hours and pick up any late-returning personnel.

Hear, hear, or should I say where, where to the sentiments shared by the Bunkells over the sparse display of American flags on Memorial Day ("Not enough Stars and Stripes flown," June 4). While taking our annual Memorial Day drive, it was both noticeable and discouraging to witness the lack of stars and stripes waving proudly from each home. Let's step it up, Glendale, and honor both our country and the brave men and women who put their lives in harms way by waving our American flag.

What is wrong with Americans? Most are unhappy with the way our country is going, but they do nothing. On Memorial Day, I was driving on one of Glendale's streets and I saw only three flags displayed in three or so miles. Then today, the paper tells me that less than 20% of registered voters voted in Tuesday's primary election! I had my flag displayed the entire Memorial Day weekend, and I was the first at my polling place to vote. I want change instead of warmed-over incumbents, but I can't do it alone.

A dvertisers declare that the start of summer is Memorial Day, but parents and children know that it doesn't really begin until the day after school is dismissed for summer break. Some of the parents I've talked to have lots of things planned to keep their kids busy this summer. Some will go to day camp, some will fly off to see their relatives for an extended visit, and a few will take family vacations across the U.S. or to other countries. Our kids are ready for some time off from school work and a regular schedule.

F ormer Secretary of the Navy Paul R. Ignatius will talk about his experiences working with President John F. Kennedy and his military service when he is the featured speaker at two Memorial Day events in Glendale. Ignatius grew up in Glendale and graduated from Hoover High School in 1938. He graduated with honors and Phi Beta Kappa membership from USC in 1942. "I went into the Navy for four years, and most of my service was on an aircraft carrier," he said. He achieved the rank of lieutenant and also performed assignments in Washington, D.C. Following his military service, he received a master's degree in business administration from Harvard Business School in 1947.

R.D. White Elementary School first-graders drew tears from the audience Friday morning as they belted out the song “Memorial Day” during a flag ceremony that paid tribute to local fallen troops. The boisterous students wore headpieces with a drawing of an American flag as they sang the song, which commemorated soldiers who fought and died on the battle field. The four local families who attended the flag ceremony were given a laminated photograph of each of the fallen troops, biographies about their lives and a bouquet of roses.