FLAGS FOR GRAVES PREPARATION TO BEGIN FOR MEMORIAL DAY OBSERVANCE.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - More than 500 local Scouts will continue a tradition established in 1988 by placing flags Saturday morning on the grave sites of veterans at Eternal Valley in preparation of Memorial Day observances.

Memorial Day ceremonies at Eternal Valley Memorial Park in Newhall will begin at 10 a.m. Monday with the posting of the colors by the William S. Hart Union High School District Air Force ROTC, followed by a flyover by the Condor Squadron, a group of volunteers from Van Nuys Airport piloting World War II aircraft. The Rev. William Ustaski of St. Clare Catholic Church in Canyon Country will give the invocation and benediction.

Retired Air Force Col. William Kennedy will be the keynote speaker. Kennedy was stationed at Kunsan Air Base in the Republic of Korea during the USS Pueblo crisis in 1968, and in 1971 flew 176 combat missions in Vietnam. In 1986, he took command of the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing in the Philippines and was responsible for removing President Marcos and his family to safety. He retired from the Air Force in 1992.

The ceremonies will conclude with the reading of more than 700 names inscribed on the marble walls of the park's hilltop Veterans' Memorial. Applications for additional names to be added to the wall are available at Eternal Valley or can be obtained by contacting duane(at)mentryville.org. The cost per inscription is $150.

The Santa Clarita Valley Veterans Memorial Committee was started in 1988 for the sole purpose of keeping alive the memories of those who have fought and died for the nation. The committee meets monthly from October through June at the Elks Lodge 2379 in Canyon Country and welcomes new members.

After the ceremonies at Eternal Valley, the local chapter of Blue Star Mothers will observe Memorial Day at noon Monday with the addition of more blue stars to three trees at Santa Clarita City Hall, featuring a reading of the names of local personnel in the service. Musician Michael Chain also will perform ``Spirit of the Free,'' his song dedicated to the troops and veterans.

Chain also will perform at a 2 p.m. community barbecue hosted by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6885, 16208 Sierra Highway, Canyon Country.

Memorial Day was established in May 1868 by a proclamation of Gen. John Logan, the commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, who said that May 30 should be set aside to honor those killed in the Civil War. It was first observed by planting flowers on graves in Arlington National Cemetery.

By 1890, all Northern states had united in observing Memorial Day on May 30, but Southern states observed a separate day until after World War I. It wasn't until May 1971 that the last Monday in May became a holiday for every state in the union to commemorate their fallen heroes. By that time, all wars were included in the observance.

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com