VETERANS' SACRIFICE REMEMBERED MEMORIAL MARKS PEARL HARBOR ANNIVERSARY.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer

SHERMAN OAKS - The courage and sacrifice of America's military veterans was lauded Saturday at the seventh annual Veterans Memorial Service in Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks Veterans Memorial Park.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel noted that her father, who served in the Army during World War II, died five years ago on Dec. 7, and that her grandfather served in World War I.

Veterans should be honored, she said, not just one day a year, but every day, because ``every day they have given their lives, they have sacrificed for our freedom.''

``I'm here today to say thank you for giving all that you have,'' she said.

About 100 people, including more than a half-dozen survivors of the infamous Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, attended. Bill Shannon, adjutant for American Legion Post 193, attributed part of the high turnout to the anniversary falling on a Saturday this year.

Sam Cordova, who served in the Korean War with the Marines, spoke about the Navajo code talkers and their service during World War II, and angrily took the government to task for not making surviving veterans more of a priority.

``Most of the congressmen and senators are not veterans and are not combat veterans,'' Cordova said. ``They have not suffered the deaths, the loss of their friends.''

``Believe you me, before I voted to send - and that's send, not to go - (people to war) I would think about it 10 times over,'' he said. ``I grieve every night for those friends of mine who did not come back.''

But George Keene, 79, of Newhall and Curley Elliott, 81, of Granada Hills said after the ceremony that the country may have to fight a war with Iraq. Both men were in the Navy in World War II, and survived the bombing of Pearl Harbor: Keene on a small officer's boat, Elliott on a small island in the center of the harbor.

``We must do everything that we can to preserve the sovereignty of the United States, and if it's taking this guy (Saddam Hussein) out or putting a bomb under his chair, fine,'' Elliott said.

``If what the government says is true about Saddam having all those weapons, I think we're going to have to take him out,'' Keene said. ``It's similar to what Hitler was doing in 1939 when nobody had the guts to go over and stop him before he started the whole war.''

U.S. Congressman Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, presented an American flag that had flown over the U.S. Capitol to the Post, and noted that on Dec. 7, 1941, ``the battle went poorly that day, but the greatest evil of the 20th century was ultimately defeated because out of that defeat'' came an awakened America.

After Sept. 11, 2001, ``perhaps the greatest evil of the 21st century,'' Americans will respond again, Sherman said - ``hopefully not the kind of war that they're talking about in Iraq,'' but Americans cannot ``allow the world's worst regime to have the world's most dangerous weapons.''

Cadet Captain Kay Jo, 16, of Glendale and her fellow members of the Van Nuys High School Junior ROTC Color and Courtesy Patrol marched proud and tall as they posted the colors for the ceremony.

Jo, who hopes to attend West Point some day, said she became interested in a military career because of her grandfather, who served in the Korean Army.

``I just wanted to honor the vets,'' she said. ``If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be here today.''

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Army veteran John Decesare plays taps during the annual Veterans Memorial Service, held at Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks Park on Saturday, the 61st anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News