REMEMBERING THE SACRIFICE MEMORIAL DAY HONORS VETERANS.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

NEWHALL - A light breeze fluttered nearly 5,000 flags placed on the graves of veterans at Eternal Valley Memorial Park, where more than 500 people gathered Monday for an annual Memorial Day tribute organized by the Santa Clarita Valley Veterans Memorial Committee.

Boy Scout leader Kimmer Crookston made sure the hand-held flags were straightened for the Brownies from Troop 302 to present during the ceremonies. She also coordinated the flag placement Saturday, working with more than 500 scouts from the Bill Hart District of the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts' Joshua Tree Council.

Sharon Ventrice from Prayer Angels for the Military, which collects donations and sends packages to military personnel stationed overseas, showed off thank-you postcards received from grateful servicemen and -women in Kuwait and Iraq.

``My day just got better when I got prayers in the mail,'' she read from one card, sent by Maj. Jane Nealy.

More than half of the crowd were veterans, many of them participants in the dedication of the Veterans Historical Plaza in downtown Newhall a few days earlier.

As the crowd found their seats, a group of historic WWII-era planes from the Condor Squadron at Van Nuys Airport flew overhead, circling back for a second flyover just before 10 a.m. They were the first in a series of overhead tributes.

At exactly 10:30 a.m. an Air Force F-16 from Edwards Air Force Base zoomed overhead, the jet's afterburners shattering the silence.

It was a poignant event for Duane Harte, who coordinated the tribute.

``We are here to honor the men and women who defend our freedom that we so cherish and help free those oppressed throughout the world,'' he said, asking all veterans present to stand and receive applause from the audience.

``I was lucky enough last year to have my father, Richard, here for the ceremonies. A World War II veteran, he was the coxswain on the boat that brought the first wave of men to Tarawa in November 1943. This year, his name joins Rocco (his father-in-law) and so many others on the memorial wall. This is for you, Dad.''

Names of the 700 fallen memorialized on the wall, located at the top of a hill at the park, were read after the ceremonies.

Keynote speaker Ret. Col. William Kennedy spoke of the patriotism that drove people to join the military in both peacetime and time of war, referencing letters from soldiers killed in Iraq and Vietnam.

``We fight because we believe not that war is good, but sometimes necessary and that we are willing to defend the prize of freedom at any cost,'' he said. ``Freedom without honor is squandered.''

``Live your lives in a way that does a great service to those who died,'' he admonished the crowd. ``Honor the fallen heroes when you see despair by offering hope; when you see ignorance, offer wisdom; when you see need, offer aid. Always do the right thing no matter how difficult the circumstance.''

Before moving the ceremonies to the hilltop for the reading of the names, Santa Clarita City Councilman Bob Kellar offered a tribute to three young men who died in Iraq during the past year: Marine Lance Cpl. Ricky Slocum from Saugus High; Army Pfc. Cole Larson from Canyon High and Pfc. Ricardo Flores from Hart High.

As if to emphasize the day's message, a final, unannounced flyover took place: a single fixed-wing airplane towing a banner that read ``Freedom Isn't Free.''

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

5 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) A young visitor, above, looks at hundreds of names of deceased servicemen and -women etched on a memorial wall at Eternal Valley Memorial Park in Newhall on Monday. At right, Kathy Wolf of Castaic holds her son Chapman, 2, during memorial services.

(3 -- 4 -- color) Red, white and blue were the colors of the day, above left, among the hundreds who gathered for the Memorial Day tribute. The Condor Squadron from Van Nuys, above, flies over the park.

(5) Jim Tukesbrey of the All Veterans Burial Squad stands at attention Monday at Eternal Valley Memorial Park.

David Crane/Staff Photographer