WORLD WAR II VETS TO BE HONORED.Byline: Alex Dobuzinskis Staff Writer Veterans telling their stories from World War II and singers performing songs from the era will be part of an event Saturday marking the end of the war 60 years ago. ``A Grateful Nation Remembers'' will be held at Forest Lawn Forest Lawn is the name of a number of different places:
abbr. World War II WWII World War Two veteran in attendance or to a surviving spouse or child. ``We're celebrating the end of the war,'' said Joseph Smith, director of the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Veterans Affairs is a term of the business that deals with the relation between a government and its veteran communities, usually administered by the designated government agency. . ``We are honoring the veterans and we are, in essence, paying tribute to them for their sacrifices and what they did to change world history.'' One of the highlights of the program will be called ``I Remember,'' during which veterans and others who experienced the war will present a vignette. In one segment, a former Marine gunnery sergeant will talk about fighting in the battle of Iwo Jima The Battle of Iwo Jima was fought between the United States and Japan in February and March 1945, during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. The U.S. invasion, known as Operation Detachment, was aimed at capturing the airfields on Iwo Jima. . In another, a former Army nurse will talk about her experience being stationed in New Guinea New Guinea (gĭn`ē), island, c.342,000 sq mi (885,780 sq km), SW Pacific, N of Australia; the world's second largest island after Greenland. . ``It's going to be a great event,'' said Paula Boger, community relations director for Forest Lawn Memorial-Park. The event will be held inside Forest Lawn's Hall of Liberty, which has a capacity of more than 1,200 people. Organizers expect a full house. The hourlong event will also feature a tribute to Bob Hope. Singer Robbie Britt will perform, with `'God Bless America'' and ``This Land is Your Land'' on the set list. A vocal group will perform ``Boogie Woogie Bugle bugle, brass wind musical instrument consisting of a conical tube coiled once upon itself, capable of producing five or six harmonics. It is usually in G or B flat. Boy'' made famous by the Andrew Sisters. World War II ended 60 years ago with the defeat of Japan, and Saturday's event is being held between the anniversary of the end of hostilities and the signing of a treaty Sept. 2, 1945, formally ending the war. ``I feel that veterans normally are remembered once or twice a year and they in fact have made some fundamental contributions to America,'' said Smith, a retired Marine colonel who served in Vietnam. ``And not only in terms of fighting the war but because ... of their experience, their intelligence and their sense of values, they have contributed to the American way of life.'' Alex Dobuzinskis, (818) 546-3304 alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com IF YOU GO: ``A Grateful Nation Remembers'' will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Hall of Liberty at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, Hollywood Hills, at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles. The event is free and open to the public. CAPTION(S): box Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
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