"Veteran's of Foreign Wars Post 3208 invites the public to Memorial Day ceremonies at Sierra Madre Pioneer Cemetery on Monday, May 27, 2013 at 11:00 AM. Refreshments and sandwiches to follow."
The VFW through this ceremony commemorates the sacrifices made by our veteran dead of all wars, while also renewing its pledge to honor them by helping the living.
As we all read in the Grand Marshal announcement put out by Sierra Madre's 4th of July Parade Committee, no organization in this town is more generous or dedicated to public service than our Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Charles Carter from Mater Dolorosa will be the keynote speaker. In addition to working at the monastery Charles is also a military veteran. His perspective is an interesting one and he will have a lot to say. Monsignor Kreckelberg from St. Rita's will be giving the opening prayer. Congresswoman Judy Chu may be there, though it is not confirmed as of this typing. The City Council has also been invited.
Veterans from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan will be in attendance as well. All present to help honor their fallen comrades in arms.
There hasn't been a formal press release this year that I know of, but we do have a couple of things that I was sent by Duncan that I would like share. Here are brief biographies of two of our World War II veterans who I am pretty sure will be in attendance Monday.
Staff Sergeant Ken Anhalt: Staff Sergeant Ken Anhalt served in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations with the 15th Army-Air Force. He was with the 459th Bombardment Group as a tail gunner on a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber. Staff Sergeant Anhalt won several Air Medals with Oak Leaf Clusters. The Air Medal is given by the United States for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievements while in combat action. Oak Leaf Clusters initially were used to denote subsequent multiple awards of the Air Medal.
In case you don't know a lot about the Air Medal (and I didn't), here is a description from a website called Orders, Decorations and Medals (link):
The Air Medal was authorized by President Roosevelt by Executive Order 9158, dated 11 May 1942, and established the award for "any person who, while serving in any capacity in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard of the United States subsequent to September 8, 1939, distinguishes, or has distinguished, himself by meritorious achievement while participating in an aerial flight." Authorization was announced in War Department Bulletin No. 25, dated 25 May 1942. Executive Order 9242-A, dated 11 September 1942 amended the previous Executive Order to read "in any capacity in or with the Army."
Criteria: The Air Medal is awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity in or with the armed forces of the United States, shall have distinguished himself by meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Awards may be made to recognize single acts of merit or heroism or for meritorious service. Award of the Air Medal is primarily intended to recognize those personnel who are on current crew member or non-crew member flying status which requires them to participate in aerial flight on a regular and frequent basis in the performance of their primary duties. However, it may also be awarded to certain other individuals whose combat duties require regular and frequent flying in other than a passenger status or individuals who perform a particularly noteworthy act while performing the function of a crew member but who are not on flying status. These individuals must make a discernible contribution to the operational land combat mission or to the mission of the aircraft in flight.
Petty Officer Gordon Caldwell: United States Petty Officer Gordon Caldwell served on the second U.S. Navy Attack Aircraft Carrier, one of the most famous carriers in the Pacific Theater during WWII, the USS Saratoga, CV-3. While a member of the crew of the Saratoga, Damage Control Petty Officer Caldwell participated in the battle of Iwo Jima and other Pacific Theater operations.
On February 21, 1944, Petty Officer Caldwell fortuitously escaped a certain death during general quarters lock down while his ship was being attacked by the Japanese. The Saratoga sustained 7 direct bomb hits and 5 Kamikaze hits by the enemy. Eleven of Petty Officer Caldwell's division buddies died at their duty stations as a consequence of one of the explosions. Gordon took from the body of one dead Kamikaze pilot the Lugar pistol he recently donated to a military museum in New Orleans.
After the Japanese surrender Petty Officer Caldwell continued to serve on board the Saratoga as part of Operation Magic Carpet, bringing tens of thousands of war veterans home to the United States.
Our Memorial Day commemoration is one of thousands all across America
This news comes from the VFW's Washington Weekly:
Memorial Day 2013
National Commander John Hamilton will be representing the VFW in the White House Monday morning, as well as participating in Memorial Day ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Locally, many of our 7,200 VFW Posts will be having similar ceremonies to honor our fallen. As we gather to remember the more than 1 million Americans who served and died in our nation’s conflicts going back to the Revolutionary War, please remember to keep our 83,000 missing and unaccounted-for servicemen—and their families—in your thoughts, as well as the men and women assigned to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, who are tasked with bringing them home from some of the most austere places on Earth. As of today, there are 73,661 missing from World War II; 7,918 from the Korean War; 1,647 from the Vietnam War; 126 from the Cold War; and 6 from our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. More information, plus loss statistics, are available at the DPMO website.
That is what I got. Thank you to all who served. To forget would be an extraordinary act of ingratitude.
Wednesday the Sierra Madre Congregational Church honors its three World War II vets
I received the following email Saturday afternoon from Bill Witczak:
Hi John, We are having a tri tip BBQ this Wednesday at 6:30 pm. We have 3 men who attend SMCC that fought in WW II and who, after the dinner is over, will be interviewed by Pastor Paul about their experiences. We thought this would be a great opportunity to honor those who served in WW II. The charge for dinner is $8 for adults, but for all vets there will be no charge. By the way the food is great. I know you have a wide reach in town, so I thought I would get this to you in case you are interested. The event is open to all young and old. Kids under 18, eat for $4.
One more thing
The winning name in our contest to properly name the Green Committee/Tree Commission mash up will be announced tomorrow. The Tattler has been receiving a lot of e-mails on this matter from anxious contestants, and I wanted them to know that a decision has been made. The winning entry will be revealed in 24 hours.
http://sierramadretattler.blogspot.com
