A DAY TO REMEMBER VETS SALUTES WILL INCLUDE PARK RENAMING.Byline: Eric Leach Staff Writer SIMI VALLEY Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. - Hundreds of people are expected to attend ceremonies Thursday in Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. to pay tribute to local veterans, including some who died this year in Iraq. In Simi Valley on Thursday, the name of Rancho Tapo Community Park will be officially changed to Rancho Tapo Community Park and Veterans Plaza. ``The name change is significant because the veterans plaza has a huge, emotional presence in this community,'' said Rick Johnson Rick Johnson may refer to:
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Center for Public Affairs and Museum also will hold a Veterans Day program that includes a patriotic concert, Civil War displays and re-enactors and free museum admission for veterans beginning at 11 a.m. Thursday. In Thousand Oaks, flags will be flown at the Veterans Memorial in Conejo Creek Park, along with a flyover by vintage aircraft from the Condor Squadron and a performance by the Westlake High School Westlake High School may refer to:
The Simi Valley event begins at 11 a.m., when officials will dedicate 195 more names that have been placed on the pilaster pilaster (pĭlăs`tər), in architecture, upright supporting member, attached to and projecting slightly from the face of a wall and equipped with a base and capital like a column; also, a similar form used decoratively. monuments in the Veterans Plaza at Rancho Tapo park, located at at 3700 Avenida Simi SIMI Sea Ice Mechanics Initiative SIMI Search for Intelligent Monkeys on the Internet SIMI Students Islamic Movement in India SIMI Society of Irish Motor Industry SIMI Smallholder Irrigation Markets Initiative . These names have been added to the 1,110 names that were there previously. Many of the names were placed in the plaza by families of the veterans, with some names of people currently serving in Iraq and some of the names in the plaza dating back to the American Revolution. Two of the names being dedicated Thursday are Marine Cpl. Chris Gibson and Army Sgt. Mike DiRaimondo, both Simi Valley residents who died in Iraq this year. A clinic in Fort Carson, Colo. has also been named for DiRaimondo, an air medic medic: see alfalfa. who was killed in a helicopter crash on Jan. 8 near Fallujah. The Veterans Plaza in Simi Valley includes a three-tiered reflecting pond with spray fountains, a grassy amphitheater and a ceremonial circle with the pilaster memorial monuments. Plaques display information about each of the major wars, from the American Revolution to Desert Storm. The event is sponsored by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10049 of Simi Valley, the Disabled American Veterans The Disabled American Veterans, or DAV, is an organization for disabled veterans that helps them and their families through various means. It currently has over 1.2 million members. The DAV was controversial during the 2006 election cycle. Chapter 55 and the U.S. Marine Corps League Detachment 595. The keynote speaker will be retired Marine Corps Maj. Jock MacKenzie of Westlake Village, and Marine Corps Capt. Marc Shuster will be master of ceremonies. In Thousand Oaks, the Conejo Valley chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars will honor veterans from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursday in ceremonies at the Thousand Oaks Veterans Memorial in Conejo Creek Park North. Lt. Jeff Gorrell of the U.S. Navy Reserve will speak on ``The Cost of Freedom'' at the event at 1379 Janss Road. ``It's a fantastic event to bring children to so they get a little piece of history and learn what Veterans Day is really about,'' said Ed Shuttleworth, a spokesman for the veterans group and a former U.S. Air Force captain. The group has sponsored the event for nearly 10 years and hundreds of people are expected to attend, including Rosie Nolan, a popular former athletic coach at Thousand Oaks High School Thousand Oaks High School is a high school established in 1962 and located in Thousand Oaks, California. It is a California Distinguished School, and offers curriculum at all levels for Thousand Oaks students. The mascot is the lancer. and a veteran of D-Day. The Veterans Memorial features a pool and fountain at the park, which is located northeast of Janss Road and Route 23. People interested in more information may call (805) 496-4290. Eric Leach, (805) 583-7602 eric.leach(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Paul Cooper of Simi Valley, above, carries his 2-year-old granddaughter to the Veterans Plaza on Friday. At left, the sun goes down behind the eagle sculpture. (3) Joggers run past the memorial with names of local veterans at Simi Valley's Rancho Tapo Community Park on Friday. Joe Binoya/Staff Photographer |
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