HONORING OUR FALLEN SOLDIERS THOUSANDS GIVE TRIBUTE TO VETERANS OF PAST, TODAY.Byline: LISA The first personal computer to include integrated software and use a graphical interface. Modeled after the Xerox Star and introduced in 1983 by Apple, it was ahead of its time, but never caught on due to its $10,000 price and slow speed. M. SODDERS Staff Writer CANOGA PARK -- Thousands of San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. residents took time out of their holiday festivities fes·tiv·i·ty n. pl. fes·tiv·i·ties 1. A joyous feast, holiday, or celebration; a festival. 2. The pleasure, joy, and gaiety of a festival or celebration. 3. Monday to honor U.S. servicemen and women who have died defending the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . Gathering at the 18th annual Valley of the Stars Canoga Park Memorial Day Parade, many parade watchers said it was also a time to honor those who are now fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. ``Some people think it's just a three-day weekend, but it's more to honor the people out there, fighting for our freedom,'' said Cecilia Martinez, 42, of Canoga Park, whose late father, Jildardo Martinez, fought in the Korean War Korean War, conflict between Communist and non-Communist forces in Korea from June 25, 1950, to July 27, 1953. At the end of World War II, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel into Soviet (North Korean) and U.S. (South Korean) zones of occupation. . She brought her 6-year-old nephew, Luge luge (l  zh), a type of small sled on which one or two persons, lying face up, slide feet first down snowy hillsides or down steeply banked, curving, iced chutes similar to those used in Navarette, to the parade, and said her sister began the holiday by placing American flags on the graves of their father and Martinez's brother-in-law, who served in the Navy. Earlier in the day Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa (born Antonio (Tony) Ramon Villar, Jr. on January 23, 1953) is the mayor of Los Angeles, California. He is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since Cristobal Aguilar in 1872. and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger attended the Memorial Day ceremony at the Los Angeles National Cemetery The Los Angeles National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in West Los Angeles, at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevard. The cemetery was dedicated in 1889. in West Los Angeles
``It was very solemn, and I felt so honored to be there,'' Villaraigosa said, adding that the day had even more resonance given the ongoing fighting in Iraq. ``I love Canoga Park,'' the mayor added, ``and it's great to be in this all-American city and celebrate Memorial Day together.'' And celebrate they did. An estimated 5,000 people lined the two-mile parade route, setting up lawn chairs and umbrellas to ward off the sun, blowing horns, cheering and waving American flags as each parade vehicle passed by. Many praised the parade as a long-standing tradition that brings neighbors from all over the city together, year after year. Kerry Scott, 49, of Canoga Park came to the parade with some neighbors from her church and her daughter, Maegan, 17, and her son, Michael, 19, who wore a red-white-and-blue hat embellished like a jester's cap with bells. ``There's quite a few military people in the parade, and we're here to honor them and thank them for giving us the freedom to sit in the hot sun and clap and cheer until you're hoarse,'' Scott said, grinning. ``It's fun!'' Don Hernandez, 38, of Canoga Park noted that the event was a good way for adults to educate younger people of the sacrifices made by America's armed forces. ``Without this, California is nothing,'' Hernandez said. The parade was presented by The Canoga Park/West Hills Chamber of Commerce, Canoga Park Community Center, Canoga Park Neighborhood Council, Valley of the Stars, and the Office of Councilman Dennis Zine. It featured a number of elected officials and dignitaries, including Zine, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, Sen. Richard Alarcn, U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Assemblywoman Cindy MontaIllegal 'X-value' for character STYLs voided void·ed adj. Heraldry Having the central area cut out or left vacant, leaving an outline or narrow border: a voided lozenge. here ez, Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, Councilman Alex Padilla and Cmdr. Thomas Sutton, U.S. Navy Reserves, who served in Kuwait and Iraq. Edith C. Shain, the nurse in the iconic 1945 VJ Day LIFE magazine photo of a sailor bestowing a passionate victory kiss on a nurse in Times Square, drew wild applause when her vehicle, adorned with a giant replica of the photo and Shain herself in a white nurse's uniform, passed through the crowd. The Canoga Park parade was just one of many events honoring the sacrifices military personnel have made in service to their country, including the more than 2,700 men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. The ceremony at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, Glendale, included a march from the Little Church of the Flowers to the burial site of a Civil War soldier and a musket musket: see small arms. musket Muzzle-loading shoulder firearm developed in 16th-century Spain. Designed as a larger version of the harquebus, muskets were fired with matchlocks until flintlocks were developed in the 17th century; flintlocks were and cannon salute. At Forest Lawn's Hollywood Hills site, observances included a portrayal of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, a rifle salute by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department This article is about the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department, not to be confused with the smaller Los Angeles County Police The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is a local law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. and a performance by the Air National Guard Band. City News Service contributed to this report. lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3663 CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) Above, members of the All-Veteran Burial Squad place a cross and helmet on a rifle wedged into the ground Monday during the Memorial Day observance at the San Fernando Memorial Cemetery in Sylmar. Left, survivors of Pearl Harbor cover their hearts during a prayer at the Memorial Day Centennial Celebration at Forest Lawn in Hollywood Hills. Alex Collins/Special to the Daily News Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News (3 -- 4) Emilee Carstens, 4, of Reseda and her mother, Julie, wave to veterans in the Canoga Park Memorial Day Parade on Monday. Below, umbrellas were the order of the day for spectators watching under a hot sun. Evan Yee/Staff Photographer (5) Above, Topanga Canyon Boulevard was closed for a couple hours Monday as the Topanga Memorial Day Parade -- and its colorful participants -- wound through the canyon with the theme ``The Spirit of Topanga, Past, Present and Future.'' Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer |
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