Cover story

Farewell salute

RECOGNIZING VETS The Veterans Day march may have been cancelled this year, but locals can still honor the men and women who served in the military by viewing a virtual program on Nov. 11.

Tarmo Hannula

Virtual program honors WWII vets who died in 2020

BY ERIK CHALHOUB

Watsonville’s Veterans Day march and ceremony downtown has been a staple in the city that honors all of those who have served their country in the military.

While the current public health orders due to Covid-19 will prevent the veterans from hosting their traditional celebration, the Pajaro Valley can still salute these men and women from home.

The Watsonville Veterans Day committee and the City of Watsonville filmed a Veterans Day program that will be shown online on Nov. 11 at 10:55am.

Organizer Harry Wiggins, a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, said the program was filmed at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1716 building on Freedom Boulevard.

“Due to the pandemic, social distancing and group gathering restrictions, we had to cancel the veterans march down Main Street and our live 2020 Veterans Day Celebration at the Watsonville Veterans Memorial Building,” he said.

The public can tune in to the program by visiting facebook.com/watsonvillecity or youtube.com/user/ WatsonvilleCityTV.

This year’s program will honor World War II veterans from the Pajaro Valley and throughout the county who have died in 2020.

They are:

TAPS Veteran Tony Rojas plays his bugle at the start of the Walk of Honor during a previous ceremony.

Tarmo Hannula

Edward Bates

US Navy 1944-1948 San Diego

Emil David Edgren

U.S. Army Signal Corp Iceland and Europe 1940-1945

Dr. Bryan Lee

U.S. Army 1942-1945 China and Burma

IN FORMATION Local veterans line up as they prepare to march during a previous Veterans Day ceremony in downtown Watsonville.

Billie I. Goodson

U.S. Navy 1943-1946 USST Tennessee Philippines, Iwo Jima Okinawa

Gene Friend

U.S. Army 1941-1946 Fort Sill, Okla. and Philippines Gene Friend was a volunteer firefighter, with a career that spanned 50-plus years.

Betty Jane Bates

U.S. Navy Wave 1941-1945 Medical Corps Treasure Island, Calif. Bethesda, MD

Harold “Hal” Hyde

U.S. Army 1942-1947 France 1944, Germany 1945, Philippines Hal Hyde continued his military service as a Citizen Soldier, promoted to Brigadier General in 1968.

Frank Joseph Rimicci Sr.

U.S. Army 1943 Transportation Corps France, Belgium and Germany

Othel Alvin “Al” Hopson

U.S. Army Air Corps 1943-1947 Germany, flew seven missions Al Hopson worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 32 years, and retired in 1980 as superintendent of postal operations in Watsonville.

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Roy Edward Winter

U.S. Navy 1944-1946 USS O’Brien South Pacific Force Guadalcanal

Richard Eugene Kitch

U.S. Army 1944-1946 Philippines and Kyoto, Japan In his retirement, he assisted in establishing Pajaro Valley Arts’ home in a historic building on Sudden Street.