HONORING THOSE WHO SERVED VETERANS DAY BRINGS HEROES TO PLAZA.Byline: ALEX DOBUZINSKIS Staff Writer NEWHALL -- Tom Johnson Tom Johnson may refer to:
The real heroes are those who didn't come back from the war, Johnson said Saturday at a Veterans Day event in Newhall. ``My cousin was in the first wave in Guadalcanal and was shot down. He's in the ocean somewhere,'' said Johnson, 87. Holding a bottle of wine given to him in recognition of his service, Johnson spoke to the crowd about U.S. soldiers who gave their lives in war. The ones who died at Iwo Jima Iwo Jima (ē`wō jē`mə, ē`wô), Jap. Io-jima, volcanic island, c.8 sq mi (21 sq km), W Pacific, largest and most important of the Volcano Islands. Mt. ; a soldier in Iraq who smothered smoth·er v. smoth·ered, smoth·er·ing, smoth·ers v.tr. 1. a. To suffocate (another). b. To deprive (a fire) of the oxygen necessary for combustion. 2. a live grenade with his body to save others. ``Our youth is not all that bad,'' he said. ``Now we have a big country. As long as we have people such as those around us, we're going to be fine.'' Johnson was one of dozens of veterans and about 200 people who attended Saturday's ceremony at Veterans Historical Plaza in Newhall. ``It's an honor to be here at this plaza,'' said Marine Cpl. Marc Miller, 24, a Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, resident who served in Iraq. ``It's an honor to be here looking at all of you who are honoring us.'' Suzon Gerstel, a military mom with the ceremony's organizer, Prayer Angels for the Military, mentioned three local men who died in Iraq: Pfc. Jose Ricardo Flores-Mejia, 21, of Santa Clarita; Pfc. Cole W. Larsen, 19, of Canyon Country; and Lance Cpl. Richard P. Slocum, 19, of Saugus. A Knights of Columbus Knights of Columbus, American Roman Catholic society for men, founded (1882) at New Haven, Conn. (where its headquarters are still located), by Father Michael J. McGivney. group hoisted the U.S. flag at the start of the ceremony, while a quartet from Valencia High sang and an Air Force Junior ROTC crew performed a saber drill. At the end of the ceremony, veterans lined up under the flagpoles to have their photos taken and they all cheered. Veterans also cheered other veterans in attendance, having served in operations from World War II, 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. , Vietnam, Desert Storm and the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Robert Ventrice was with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam from 1967-68. He was there during the Tet Offensive Tet offensive, 1968, a series of crucial battles in the Vietnam War. On Jan. 31, 1968, the first day of the celebration of the lunar new year, Vietnam's most important holiday, the Vietnamese Communists launched a major offensive throughout South Vietnam. and his Army base near Saigon was attacked by a group of Vietnamese Communist fighters. ``They were tremendously brave,'' he said. ``The fact that 489 of them attacked our post -- they knew there were 15,000 of us there. ... It was like a high school kid going up against a professional wrestler, it was just a slaughter.'' Johnson served in the Marines as a bomber pilot from 1942 until his discharge in 1946. During that time he only got two leaves to visit his wife in Kansas. The Marine's eyes and ears were damaged while flying in combat, but he considered it a reward when he was assigned to fly transport runs. The job put the airplane enthusiast, who learned flying in college, behind the controls of just about every type of plane the Navy had. During Saturday's ceremony, Gerstel presented Johnson with the wine, called ``Six Heroes'' and embossed em·boss tr.v. em·bossed, em·boss·ing, em·boss·es 1. To mold or carve in relief: emboss a design on a coin. 2. with the image of the six soldiers raising the American flag on Iwo Jima. ``First of all, I want to say I'm no hero,'' Johnson said. ``Yes, you are,'' someone in the crowd yelled. alex.dobuzinskis@dailynews.com (661) 257-5253 CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1 -- 3 -- color) The Knights of Columbus, left, participate in a flag ceremony by lowering the stars and stripes Stars and Stripes nickname for the U.S. flag. [Am. Hist.: Brewer Dictionary, 8567] See : America , then raising a new flag during the Veterans Day event organized by the Prayer Angels for the Military at Veterans Historical Plaza at Newhall Avenue and Market Street in Newhall on Saturday. Below, members of the Knights of Columbus hold hands during a prayer. At bottom, Nick Novotny, Kyle Serrecchia, Andrew Risse and Calandria DeCastro, from left, from the Air Force Junior ROTC at Valencia High School Valencia High School may refer to:
(4 -- 5 -- color) The statue of a Civil War soldier, left, stands sentry while Junior ROTC members form up behind it during the Veterans Day ceremony organized by the Prayer Angels for the Military at Veterans Historical Plaza at Newhall Avenue and Market Street in Newhall on Saturday. Above, a border of bricks inscribed in·scribe tr.v. in·scribed, in·scrib·ing, in·scribes 1. a. To write, print, carve, or engrave (words or letters) on or in a surface. b. To mark or engrave (a surface) with words or letters. with veterans' names lines the sidewalk at Veterans Historical Plaza. John McCoy/Staff Photographer |
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