BEGUN TWO DECADES AGO, VETERANS PLAZA MEMORIAL FINALLY FINISHED.Byline: Angie Valencia-Martinez 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. - A city monument 20 years in the making and dedicated to anyone who served in the military from the Revolutionary War to the ongoing war in Iraq is finally finished. Recently, 135 names were added to the $1.5 million Veterans Plaza at Rancho ran·cho n. pl. ran·chos Southwestern U.S. 1. A hut or group of huts for housing ranch workers. 2. A ranch. Tapo Community Park, bringing the total to 1,440. ``There's no more room,'' said Colleen col·leen n. An Irish girl. [Irish Gaelic cailín, diminutive of caile, girl, from Old Irish. Janssen, a spokeswoman for the Rancho Simi Rancho San José de Nuestra Senora de Altagarcia y Simi is one of the land grants in California by the Spanish government. The name derives from Shimiji, the name of the Chumash village here before the Spanish. Recreation and Park District. ``At some point, you have to stop.'' The park district's board of directors recently decided to end the project. Chairwoman Elaine Freeman said expanding it would affect the park's other uses. ``I wish we could make it bigger,'' she said. ``It's a wonderful addition to the community, a wonderful monument to the military and a very special place.'' The tribute began more than two decades ago when Dick Hlebasko, a local World War II Navy veteran, approached the district with the idea. ``It was the realization of a dream that one day we'd have something for the veterans here in Simi Valley,'' said Hlebasko, now 80. ``The project is now complete. The veterans waited a long time.'' The district raised $1 million over the years and received a $500,000 donation from a deceased veteran to fund the project. The names of the 135 recent additions were dedicated during a Veterans Day ceremony. The last name added was John D. House, a Navy medic medic: see alfalfa. killed in Iraq in January. The last line reads, ``All gave some, some gave all.'' ``John would be proud,'' said his widow, Melanie House of Simi Valley. ``It means so much,'' said his mother, Susan House. ``So many people walk through that park. Maybe they'll see his name and will go on the Internet and look him up and learn more about him and the fact that he sacrificed himself for his country.'' The park district broke ground on the memorial in 2001. The first 760 names were dedicated a year later. The plaza features a reflecting pond, fountains and a grassy grass·y adj. grass·i·er, grass·i·est 1. Covered with or abounding in grass. 2. Resembling or suggestive of grass, as in color or odor. Adj. 1. amphitheater amphitheater (ăm`fəthē'ətər, ăm`pə–), open structure used for the exhibition of gladiatorial contests, struggles of wild beasts, sham sea battles, and similar spectacles. with flying flags, including those from the five branches of the military. It also includes an eagle sculpture and metal plaques plaques, n.pl 1. brain lesions found within the vacant areas between nerve cells. 2. deposits of cholesterol in artery walls that characterize arteriosclerosis. with information about each war, accompanied by quotes from the time period. Mayor Paul Miller The name Paul Miller is shared by a number of people.
``All of us appreciate what the veterans have meant to this country,'' he said. ``Our freedoms are founded on the sacrifices they've made over the years. Angie Valencia-Martinez, (805) 583-7604 angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Ed Hayduk, assistant park district general manager, and veteran Dick Hlebasko walk around Veterans Plaza at Rancho Tapo Community Park. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer |
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