Canyon Lake Veteran's Memorial
Canyon Lake Veterans Memorial
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2012 Official Flag Flying Days |
Ceremony unites community to honor vets
By Sharon Rice
Editor, The Friday Flyer
Love of country, especially when one’s country is threatened by outsiders, is that deep passion that helps brings people together in a spirit of unity. When it’s time to pledge allegiance to the flag and honor those who have served this nation – as Canyon Lakers did last Friday at the Veterans Day ceremony – petty bickering takes a back seat. As Pastor Pete Van Dyke, of Canyon Lake Community Church, later pointed out, “For a short while, our community was what it could be.”
In these difficult economic times, the lyrics of the popular Lee Greenwood song resonate with so many: “If tomorrow all the things were gone, I’d worked for all my life, and I had to start again with just my children and my wife, I’d thank my lucky stars to be living here today, ‘cause the flag still stands for freedom and they can’t take that away. And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died who gave that right to me . . .”
That song, sung by POA President Paul Chenette, along with other moving pieces sung by the Celebration Choir and Orchestra during last week’s ceremony, helped stir the passion of patriotism in a crowd estimated at 500 or more.
In addition to the comments of Master of Ceremonies Lt. Commander Scott Mann (USN-Ret.), the community address by Lt. Col. Edward LaMar Jr. and keynote address by Capt. Thomas Merry (MC USN-Ret), there were two video presentations and special music by bagpipes and bugle that brought tears to many.
Major Charles Ruhl and the Elsinore High School ROTC provided a presentation of flags and, later in the program, a choreographed rifle tribute that accompanied the music. Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster led the Pledge of Allegiance, with Tyler and Brady Norton providing deaf interpretation. Pastor Pete led the audience in prayer for country and community.
Right at 11 a.m. (on 11-11-11) the crowd was encouraged to step out from under the large canopy to view a flyover of two T34 Heritage Foundation airplanes. Maj. Thomas Innocenti, who coordinated the flyover and took pictures from the lead plane, said this year’s Veterans Day crowd looked noticeably larger than last year’s.
Finally, the moment came for the unveiling of the new Veterans Memorial monument in the newly landscaped park provided in large part by the Merchant Owners Association. As chair of the Veterans Day Committee, along with honorary chair Randy Bonner, Nancy Horton thanked all those who contributed to the dream of building a monument that would honor veterans day and night for generations to come.
Scott Mann expressed the meaning of Veterans Day in his closing remarks, when he said: “Why is Veterans Day important to us? For 10 decades we have honored our veterans on November 11, the day guns fell silent on the bloody battle fields of Europe. World War I, the so-called ‘war to end all wars,’ was over. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month is forever etched into the American psyche . . .
“While we remember the past, we also must ‘remember’ the present and the future. We remember the soldier who is standing watch in a foxhole that he dug with his own hands in the desert. We remember the airman refueling the fighter jet taking off for its next bombing mission in a faraway place.
“We remember the sailor standing his watch on the bridge of the world’s most powerful destroyer, with missiles aimed at a target deep inside a foreign land. We remember the marine leading his squad on combat patrol in the mountains of Afghanistan.
“We remember because peace fails when we forget what we stand for. It fails when we forget that our republic is based on firm principles – principles that have real and lasting meaning. Peace is only maintained and won by those who have clear eyes and brave minds and even braver hearts.
Quoting George Orwell, Scott continued, “’People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.’
“So we have gathered today in remembrance, just as we have gathered before, to remember those who served, those who fought and those who made the greatest sacrifice – who gave their last full measure of devotion for our country. Our liberties, our values, all for which America stands is safe today because brave men and women have been ready to face the fire and watch at the tip of America’s spear. And we thank God for them.”
In Memoriam: Don George
On April 16, a memorial service was held to honor Don George, a World War II POW. Don entered into life on June 15, 1923 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He entered into eternal rest on March 31, 2011. He was inurned at Riverside National Cemetery.
The service was marked by humorous family remembrances of Don entertaining at home, the Rose Parade celebrations with his puppet, Ernie, his cheers for floats, other parade watchers, and his love of the bands.
Don was a proud member of the Trailblazers, his World War II unit. In 1945, he was imprisoned for four months in a stalag, and a soldier who was part of that liberation was present at the memorial service. Don presented the City of Canyon Lake with a POW flag at the City’s 2010 Veterans Day celebration. He wanted everyone to remember the POWs.
His is survived by his beloved wife, Sadako, a large and loving family and many friends.
History of Veterans Day
The Red Poppy
The red or Flanders poppy has been linked with battlefield deaths since the time of the Great War (1914-18). The plant was one of the first to grow and bloom in the mud and soil of Flanders. The connection was made, most famously, by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae in his poem 'In Flanders fields'.
The red poppy has become a symbol of war remembrance the world over. People in many countries wear the poppy to remember those who died in war or who still serve. In many countries, the poppy is worn around Armistice Day.
Veterans Day
Veterans Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor Armistice Day - the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislature that was passed in 1938, November 11 was dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as Armistice Day. As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans.
In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, November 11 became a day to honor American Veterans of all wars.
In 1968, the Uniforms Holiday Bill ensured three-day weekends for Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. Under this bill, Veterans Day was moved to the last Monday of October. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holiday on its original date. The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on October 25, 1971.
Finally on September 20, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed a law which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. Since then, the Veterans Day holiday has been observed on November 11.
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