HISTORY: Carol Pastor shares how Veterans Day is much more than just a holiday in Coronado

Crown City History

IN COLLABORATION WITH CORONADO HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

ARMISTICE DAY

Veterans Day is More Than a Holiday in Coronado.

BY CAROL PASTOR, CORONADO HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEER PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CITY OF CORONADO

Banners wave with photos of veterans with ties to Coronado. The Hometown Banner Program can be seen on the Avenue of Heroes, along Third and Fourth Streets.

NOVEMBER 11 should be a date remembered by all, and not because it means a threeday weekend or a day off from school. Are you old enough to remember when Veterans Day was called Armistice Day? The armistice came about at the end of World War I, and served as the signed document declaring the end of the conflict. In 1918, “on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month,” an armistice was declared between the Allied nations and Germany. World War I was then known as the “Great War” — the war to end all wars. The following year, on NOVEMBER 11, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson set the date to be recognized annually.

However, the holiday was not renamed until after World War II and the Korean War. In 1945, a veteran suggested the name be changed to Veterans Day. In 1954, Congress passed the bill that President Dwight Eisenhower signed proclaiming NOVEMBER 11 as Veterans Day.

Veterans Day is a time to reflect upon all those who served, including those who came home, and those never to be seen again. (The holiday is distinct from Memorial Day, which exclusively honors the fallen.) We, as a military town, should be very aware of Veterans Day and be able to pass on stories of service to our country.

In our own way, we do not have to leave Coronado to find many heroes of days gone by. Personally, I remember one New Year's Day when I sat and listened to three retired admirals relating incidents of the battles of Midway and others, and how fortunate they were that they all came home. This was a living history of local men to be proud of.

We will never forget Admiral James B. Stockdale and the years he and his fellow prisoners of war suffered in captivity. We, of Coronado and elsewhere, will never forget Sybil Stockdale and her band of women who fought their way to the highest halls of government in Washington, D.C. to garner the attention of our leaders, seeking the release of their loved ones. Their tireless efforts were finally successful and the prisoners were released from Vietnam. Although they came home, there is no doubt that those memories remained with them forever.

Keeping in mind our heroes, just take a look at the Avenue of Heroes along Third and Fourth Streets between Orange Avenue and Naval Air Station North Island.

The Avenue of Heroes has a companion program, the Hometown Banner Program, which was established by the City of Coronado in 2014 with help from the Third and Fourth Street Planning Group, the Coronado Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2422 and the Coronado Historical Association, as a military service recognition program. Nominees for the program are past or present residents of Coronado, living or deceased, who served honorably in any branch of the U.S. military. Along Third and Fourth Streets, you can see banners waving with photos of veterans with ties to Coronado. Some came home, others never to be seen again.

Hometown Banner Ceremony, May 2022

They served all over the world in different ways, not afraid to move to the battlefront when needed.

This year, local Coronado Eagle Scout Candidate, Cole Bennett, worked with his Troop 801 to record the biographies of those honored and featured along the Avenue of Heroes. Inspired by those who are visually impaired, Mr. Bennett’s Eagle Scout project allows everyone to listen to the biographies of each hero on the Coronado Historical Association website, available at this link: CoronadoHistory. org/historic-coronado/avenueof-heroes-honorees/. Thank you, Mr. Bennett, for your service to our community in honoring our veterans.

There is a small wooden flag at my front door which reads “THE HOME OF THE FREE because of THE BRAVE.” That says it all. Good Veterans Day to all of you.

Eagle Scout Candidate Cole Bennett worked with his Troop 801 this year to record the biographies of Veterans for anyone to listen to online at CoronadoHistory.org.

• Carol Pastor and her family have lived in Coronado since the mid-1970s. Mother of seven girls, many of whom still live here in the village, Carol has been involved in the community over the years with the Friends of the Library, Historic Resource Commission, and most recently writing about Coronado history for the Coronado Historical Association. An avid history buff since her college days, exploring our local history is a perfect fit.