22nd Annual Veterans Day Parade program 2018

22nd Annual Long Beach

VETERANS DAY PARADE “A Salute To Those Who Served”

Saturday, November 10, 2018 Parade begins at 10am South and Atlantic to Atlantic and Harding

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Sunday Nov. 11 Monday Nov. 12 Sheldon and Shell Grossman

-Bixby Knolls owners for over 40 years

November 10, 2018

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Welcome...

to the 22nd Annual Long Beach Veterans Day Parade

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n behalf of the Long Beach Veterans Day Committee, we thank you for attending today and honoring our many veterans who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States. It is because of their service that we enjoy all of our many freedoms.

We want to recognize this year’s co-sponsors – California Resources Corporation and ARCO. We are pleased

California Resources JCL Traffic Control Beacon House Association Savon Signs The Signal Tribune Pageantry Productions

to partner with them to bring you the 22nd Annual Long Beach Veterans Day Parade. Through their help we are again able to produce an event to appropriately honor our veterans.

Planning for this parade is a year-round effort that results in an event that can be enjoyed by the entire family.

The Long Beach Veterans Day Committee is a 501(c) (3) organization made up of community volunteers.

Wolf & Company LB Airport Supervisor Janice Hahn ARCO/andeavor Southern California Coalition Edison International

It is not sponsored by any government entity.

Success of the 22nd Annual Parade is due to the efforts of many people.

We thank the many parade participants, the parade spectators, and the many volunteers who worked so diligently to produce this parade. We want to express our special thanks to the following and especially our community volunteers:

Steven Huhta CSI Security Bulletin Displays, LLC Beth Bettger LB Convention & Visitor’s Bureau Port of Long Beach

and ALL OUR VOLUNTEERS A great deal of research has gone into the information presented in this souvenir program. It is our hope that you will take time to read and learn about the branches of the United States Armed Forces from the facts presented here.

We sincerely hope you will enjoy the 22nd Annual Long Beach Veterans Day Parade. Please join us as we give our “Salute to Those Who Served.”

Val Lerch

Chair 22nd Annual Long Beach Veterans Day Parade Long Beach Veterans Day Parade 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Corporation #33-0930989

Thank you for supporting our veterans!

Veterans Day Parade 2018 Program is a production of

S IGNA L T R I BU N E 1399 E. 28th St., Signal Hill, CA 90755 (562) 595-7900 • www.signaltribune.com newspaper@signaltribune.com

PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/ ADVERTISING SALES

Neena R. Strichart

DESIGN/PRODUCTION MANAGER

Sebastian Echeverry CONTENT CREATORS

Denny Cristales Rachael Rifkin

Paige Pelonis Sebastian Echeverry

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22nd Annual Veterans D ay Parade

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A Salute to Those Who Served

Partial list of parade participants

Courtesy Long Beach Veterans Parade Committee

Mayor Robert Garcia Vice Mayor Dee Andrews -Council Member Lena Gonzalez -Council Member Jeannine Pearce -Council Member Suzie Price

-Council Member Daryl Supernaw -Council Member Roberto Uranga -Council Member Al Austin -Council Member Rex Richardson -Supervisor Janice Hahn

-Congressman Alan Lowenthal -Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell -Jeffrey Prang - Los Angeles County Assessor -City Prosecutor Douglas Haubert -City Attorney Charles Parkin -City Auditor Laura Doud -Long Beach Police Department -Long Beach Fire Department -Council Member Edward Wilson City of Signal Hill -Grand Marshal Lieutenant Commander Terry Geiling

-Celebrity Grand Marshal Kenny Landreaux -Centenarian Grand Marshal Lt. Col. Sam Sachs -Centenarian Grand Marshal Lt. Col. Guy Autore -26th Cavalry -Rancho La Laguna -Buffalo Soldiers Mounted Cavalry Unit -Long Beach Mounted Police Mane Attraction -Charros De La Puente -Rancho Arroyo -Cabrillo High School -Long Beach Poly High School -Paramount High School -Sunburst Youth Academy

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A Salute to Those Who Served

-Santa Ana High School -Lakewood High School -U.S. Naval Sea Cadets Long Beach Poly High School Long Beach Jordan High School -ARCO -Edison International -California Resources -Sav On Signs -United States Coast Guard -Military Vehicle Collectors Club -American Gold Star Manor -Run For The Wall -U.S.S. Long Beach -Vietnam Veterans of America - Chapter 756 -Mindful Warrior Project -Los Angeles LGBT Center for Veterans

-Destroyers Escort Sailors Association -Veteran’s Independence Day Celebration ( VIDC ) -Luis Michael Adame -Arturo Conforte -John Arambula Jr. -Pools of Hope -Glen Park Healthy Living -Port of Long Beach -American Red Cross -Khmer Republic Veterans -Salvation Army -Khmer Veterans Freedom Fighters Association -Veterans of Foreign Wars ( VFW ) 4th District -Howard Genrich -Military Families Speak Out -Long Beach Veterans Commission

22nd Annual Veterans D ay Parade

-U.S. Vets Long Beach -Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles -Cub Scout Pack 88 -California Youth Spirit Corp -Kiwanis Club of Bixby Knolls / North Long Beach -Long Beach Boy Scouts of America / New Frontier District -Skippy Dee Klown -Hughes Middle School -Leadership Academy -Lakewood Girl Scouts -American Heritage Girl Scouts Troop CA0608 -Friends of Long Beach Animals -Cub Scout Pack 206 -Long Beach City College -Hoover Middle School Cheer

-Long Beach Water -Signal Tribune -Aquarium of the Pacific -Historical Impersonators of Southern California -Kiwanis Club of Long Beach -St. Barnabas -Cub Scout Pack 32 -Cub Scout Pack 247 -Uptown Long Beach Lions Club -Miss Long Beach -Compton Sounders -Miss Compton Pageant -ARCO -Edison International -California Resources -Sav On Signs

THEY DIED

FOR US. Perhaps, just for a minute, we can put down our cell phones, look their families in the eyes, and say, “Thank you.”

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Becoming an iconic parade for veterans

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ow in its 22nd year, the Long Beach Veterans Day Parade has grown from humble origins into a family-oriented event that attracts close to 10,000 people. Themed “A Salute to Those Who Served,” the parade is a way we all can honor our veterans, from all branches of the military and from all eras.

“When we first started out, it was very

Courtesy Long Beach Veterans Parade Committee

small. It was very local. But over the years, it has grown beyond anything we had ever imagined. In 1996, we started the parade,” Val Lerch, chair of the Veterans Day Parade Committee and former Long Beach councilmember, said. “It’s not only grown in size; it’s also grown in notoriety as one of the best parades in the region for veterans.

We were the only veterans parade when we

started– now there’s about two or three other ones– but we own it. It is our parade, our day.

And it’s just grown into an institution known as the Veterans Day Parade.”

The Long Beach Veterans Day Parade has grown far beyond anything former City Councilmember Jerry Shultz imagined back in 1996. His original goal was to create a patriotic event in Long Beach. He formed a committee of activists in north Long Beach, and they came up with the idea of having a parade.

“This year, we have two centenarian grand marshals,” Lerch said. “One of them is 103, and one of them is 104. That’s unique within itself. It’s a well-rounded. We have about five floats in the parade. When we started out, we didn’t have any floats. It was just a group of marching people. Now we have floats in the parade, more and more people and more and more veterans. This year, we’ve got at least five fly-overs from different organizations. [...] As the notoriety grows, so do the amount of people that want to be in the parade.”

The first two years, the parade was held on Labor Day weekend. In 1998 it was moved to Veterans Day weekend.

“We put it on to show appreciation to the veterans,” Lerch said. “And through the years, I’ve heard many Vietnam veterans, in particular, saying, ‘When we came home, people spat on us. People called us baby killers. But this parade shows that the majority of Americans did appreciate and do appreciate what we do.’ For veterans, it’s to have that sense of being appreciated, being honored and being respected.”

T

hank you to all who have bravely served our country.

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Do you know your roots?

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GRAND MARSHAL Terry Geiling received a commission in the US Navy after earning a BS degree from the University of Illinois.

While serving on the USS Cape– a minesweeper in Long Beach– he was selected to attend the Submarine Officer’s School in Groton, CT. Upon graduation from sub school, Terry was assigned to submarines in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

While serving on Pacific Fleet submarines he made several deployments in the Western Pacific to support Naval activities in the South China Sea and Tonkin Gulf during the Vietnam era. He participated in multiple submarine special operations in the Pacific that ranged from Australia to the Bering Straits.

After leaving active duty, Terry Geiling remained active in the US Naval Reserve and served as commanding officer of Naval Reserve units in Hawaii.

After a career with IBM, Terry founded Professional Business Services (PBS), an IT services company in Long Beach.

PBS provides managed services support for mid-sized companies and supplies large corporations with high level technical professionals. PBS has been in operation for 24 years and Terry continues to oversee its national and international operations.

Terry Geiling is currently president and CEO of the American Gold Star Manor in Long Beach. The Manor is a senior retirement facility for women who lost sons and daughters in the US military,

US veterans and other eligible seniors. Terry is currently directing a $56-million construction effort that will renovate all of the Manor’s 25 acres of facilities and grounds.

In addition to his professional responsibilities, Terry is active in the Long Beach volunteer community.

He served on the Goodwill Long BeachSouth Bay President’s Advisory Committee. He was the Board Chair for the St. Mary Medical Center Hospital Board and now serves on the St. Mary Foundation Board.

He acted as Board Chair of the Apartment Association California Southern Cities and

WE

Thank you to our veterans and active service men and women for your service to our country. It is with deep gratitude, appreciation and respect that we acknowledge your brave commitment to protecting our freedom.

as president of the International Business Committee of the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. Terry is a founding Board member of the Fisher House Foundation and helped raise the funds needed to bring a Fisher House to the Long Beach VA Hospital. Terry is also a founding Board member of the Jonas Project that helps turn veteran-entrepreneurs into high impact business leaders.

Also active in Rotary International, Terry was president of the Rotary Club of Long Beach and Chief of Staff for the Rotary District Governor. He has both lead and participated in Rotary international trips to administer Polio vaccine to the children of migrant workers and to provide books, computers and clean water facilities to schools in rural areas of Mexico. In 2012, Terry was awarded the Rotary District Business Leader of the Year award.

P R O U D LY

SALUTE

L O N G B E A C H V E T E R A N S D AY C O M M I T T E E

The Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau board, staff and over 400 hospitality business partners proudly thank and support the veterans of our great nation. Thank you for all you do. We also

Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell Proudly serving Long Beach, Signal Hill, San Pedro and Catalina Island

https://a70.asmdc.org/

congratulate the Long Beach Veterans Day Committee on 22 wonderful years of success with the Annual Veterans Day Parade.

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CENTENARIAN GRAND MARSHALS LTC Sam Sachs was born April 26, 1915 in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Sachs’ life spanned two world wars.

LTC Sachs was a glider pilot in WWII. One flight he piloted his glider into France– filled with machine guns, ammunition and eight American soldiers while under heavy enemy anti-aircraft attack, landing safely in a French farmland about two miles from Utah Beach.

“In those gliders, you were just like a pigeon up there,” he said.

LTC Sachs participated in another glider landing, in Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands near the end of the war.

After the war, he served with the Army reserves until his retirement 32 years later, at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

LTC Guy Autore, is a WWII veteran who served in the Pacific Theater. He was born March 23, 1914. He joined the war at the age of 26 and did basic training in Hawaii.

He graduated from Officer Candidate School and became a company commander for an anti-tank company. During the war he was assigned to the LA National Guard 40th Infantry Div. The troops were then deployed to the Marshall Islands, Guadalcanal and the Philippines. He became a Captain by the end of the war but remained in the Army Reserves and eventually attaining the rank of Lt Col. At 104 and 1/2! LTC Autore still makes his bed military style, maintains all his service records, and regularly plays Scrabble.

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A Signal Tribune exclusive: One on one with a veteran

Fighting– and living– in Vietnam LBUSD member recalls living in Vietnamese villages during war.

Sebastian Echeverry Production Manager

While standing in line to register for classes at Santa Monica College, Mike Murray came to the conclusion that he no longer wanted to wait in a line.

He wanted something more. So, he enlisted in the United States Marines.

“I went down to Santa Monica, and I joined the Marine Corps and then stood in line for two years straight, basically,” Murray chuckled.

Murray, now retired from the Marine Corps and a current Long Beach Unified School District Educare specialist, spoke with the Signal Tribune at the One World Trade Center offices on Oct. 23 and

looked back at that two-year time in Vietnam.

He looked back on old images of former comrades from a different time– men who he struggled alongside within the mountains from 1968 to 1969.

He referenced old newspaper clippings of his time in Vietnam and how his experience overseas intertwined with that of the Vietnamese people.

He gazed back at a map of Vietnam and the crisscrossing arrows across that map that indicated where the U.S. launched its attacks, such as the Tet Offensive and Operation Rolling Thunder.

Dotted along the map were small villages. It was in those villages where Murray said he had discovered the meaning of unconditional love and respect buried deep within the death and destruction of war.

“I was what they call a grunt– the numerical is a 0311,” Murray said.

“For my first three months in Vietnam, I was in 33 Kilo Company in northern South Vietnam running

operations in the mountains.”

While Murray and the rest of 33 Kilo combed through Vietnam’s jungle terrain, he noticed other Marines living in the villages that the company passed by.

Intrigued by his observation, Murray joined the Combined Action Program (CAP)– this initiative allowed U.S. military personnel to live within Vietnam’s villages and launch cooperative military strikes with local village soldiers. One of the qualifications was to be in the country for at least three months.

“The units were made of 10 to 12 Marines,” Murray said. “We lived in the villages. Two or three Marines would move into the homes of the Vietnamese villagers.”

He was integrated with the people of Nuoc Ngot village. There, Murray slept, ate and worked with local villagers and other CAP Marines.

“You can imagine if two or three Marines came to your house tonight and said, ‘We’ll be here for a

couple of weeks,’ what kind of reaction you’d get,” Murray said. “But the Vietnamese in the village that I was in were very welcoming.”

Murray said he also took advantage of Vietnamese language schools that the Marine Corps offered. He graduated top of the class in the Da Nang Vietnamese Language School.

“It’s a very difficult language,” see VETERAN page 31

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WE SALUTE YOU. YOUR DEDICATION POWERS US ALL. California Resources Corporation is proud to sponsor the Annual Long Beach Veterans Day Parade. We extend our heartfelt appreciation to our men and women in uniform for their service.

T:9 in

crc.com

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Fun Fact:

Elvis Presley served in the U.S. Army from 1958 through 1960.

he Army is the oldest branch of the U.S. military that provides land-based military operations. Their mission is to fight and win wars by providing prompt, sustained land dominance across the range of military operations and spectrum of conflict in support of commanders.

They accomplish missions assigned by the President, Secretary of Defense and Combatant Commanders.

The Army is divided into major branches: Air Defense Artillery, Infantry, Aviation, Signal Corps, Corps of Engineers and Armor. The Army is made up of three components. The active component is the regular Army. The two reserve components are the Army National Guard and the Army

Honoring our

THE A Motto “This W Reserve. These are part-time soldiers who train once a month. These are known as unit-training assemblies. They conduct two to three weeks of annual training each year.

The Army is led by a Civilian Secretary of the Army, who conducts all affairs of the Army under the authority, direction and control of the Secretary of Defense.

The Chief of the Staff is the highest-ranked military officer in the Army. This person is the military advisor and executive agent for the secretary of the Army along with a Joint Chiefs of Staff member, a body of the Service Chiefs from each of the Department of Defense military services who advise the President, Secretary of Defense and National Security Council.

The Army also has both an operational and institutional portion. The operational Army consists of armies, corps, divisions, brigades and battalions that conduct a full

U.S. Veterans 562 857 1965

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A Salute to Those Who Served

ARMY s We’ll Defend” spectrum of international operations. The institutional Army trains, equips, deploys and ensures readiness to support the operational Army.

It began as the Continental Army in 1775, formed by the second Continental Congress in response to the Revolutionary War. George Washington was its Commanderin-Chief. Prior to this formalized National Army, there were only cobbled-together, local militias without a chain of command.

Washington described his new army as, “A mixed multitude of people under very little discipline, order or government.”

With the Revolutionary War over, the Continental Congress disbanded the Continental Army in 1784. Congress did not wish the United States to have a standing army during peacetime. However, conflicts with Native Americans spurred Congress to allow and create the Legion of the United

States. Its four sub-legions would go on to become the first four regiments of the U.S. Army.

The Army went on to fight the British in the War of 1812, then afterwards was heavily involved in US western expansion, fighting Native Americans and winning the MexicanAmerican War in 1848. The Civil War began in 1861 and split the nation, and the Army. The Army re-combined in its aftermath and won the Spanish-American War in 1898, followed by victory in the Philippine-American War, which lasted from 1899 to 1902.

As America entered the 20th century, it entered both World War I and World War II. Next came the Korean War amid the larger Cold War, followed by the Vietnam War. The 1990s saw the Persian Gulf War in response to the invasion of Kuwait. The 2000s witnessed the military occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq in the wake of 9/11.

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Song

“The Army Goes Rolling Along”

Intro: March along, sing our song, with the Army of the free Count the brave, count the true, who have fought to victory. We’re the Army and proud of our name, We’re the Army and proudly proclaim Verse: First to fight for the right, And to build the Nation’s might, And The Army Goes Rolling Along, proud of all we have done, Fighting till the battle’s won, And the Army Goes Rolling Along. Refrain: Then it’s Hi! Hi! Hey! The Army’s on its way. Count off the cadence loud and strong (TWO! THREE!) For where e’er we go, You will always know That The Army Goes Rolling Along.

Verse: Valley Forge, Custer’s ranks, San Juan Hill and Patton’s tanks, And the Army went rolling along Minute men, from the start, Always fighting from the heart, And the Army keeps rolling along.

Verse: Men in rags, men who froze, Still that Army met its foes, And the Army went rolling along.

Faith in God, then we’re right, And we’ll fight with all our might, As the Army keeps rolling along.

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Highlighting service members

Mike DuRee, former US Marine and Long Beach fire chief, looks back on his career Sebastian Echeverry Production Manager

Mike DuRee is no stranger to service. His time in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1988 to 1994 plays testament to his committing ways.

But serving in the military wasn’t the only crucible in which DuRee constructed a lifetime of service to his community.

He has led the LBFD since 2012, but on Oct. 5, DuRee’s service to Long Beach as the fire chief came to an end. DuRee retired from the fire chief position to spend more time to travel with his wife, Aimee, and 15-year-old daughter, Claire.

He told the Signal Tribune in a phone interview the morning of Oct. 2 that there was no specific date or reason for when or why he decided to retire, but that he did discuss the idea many times with his family before proceeding with his choice.

“The pivotal moment, even though we’ve been talking about

it for some time, was obviously after [LBFD Captain] Dave Rosa’s death,” DuRee said. “That was a tough thing for all of us, myself and my family included. I realized that you know, now is a good time.

The department’s in good shape, the command staff is fantastic and everything is getting better.”

On Oct. 1, the City announced in a press release that the new LBFD fire chief will be Xavier Espino.

Mayor Robert Garcia said that “Xavier Espino is going to be a great fire chief. He has served our community for the past 32 years, and his appointment is well-deserved. I look forward to working with Chief Espino to continue the great work that our fire department is doing in the years ahead.”

DuRee also shared his thoughts on Espino, saying that “he is going to do wonderful things for our community, and I look forward to supporting him as I can.”

DuRee served with the LBFD for 24 years. In 1994, DuRee

stepped into the halls of Fire Station 7 for the first time– it was his first assignment fresh out of the academy.

He said he was proud to be able to dawn the same badge his father and grandfather did. His first call on the job was a medical-aid call.

“It was a relatively routine medical-aid call, and I had a huge smile on my face as we were rolling down the street,” DuRee said. “I never, ever took that for granted.

I never forgot that feeling I had when I joined the fire department, and the pride that I had, and the opportunity I was given to serve this community.”

Looking back, DuRee said that one of his most cherished moments as the fire chief is grounded in tragedy.

Capt. Rosa was shot and killed on June 25 while responding to an explosion at a downtown senior

Courtesy City of LB

Mike DuRee

apartment complex. His death sent shockwaves throughout the department and fire chief DuRee’s family.

“That was obviously one of the darkest hours of Long Beach Fire, certainly in my career, and it really kind of shook every one of us to see LBFD page 38

Our greatest treasure is our freedom . men and women

TO THE WHO PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE TO SERVE OUR COUNTRY WITH COURAGE AND VALOR, THANK YOU.

November 10, 2018

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Long Beach Law Salutes Those Who Served Civil Law - Criminal Law - Estate Planning - Family Law

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An embodiment of service Partners of Parks, Long Beach Veterans Commission host event at Lone Sailor memorial to commemorate Navy service members.

Sebastian Echeverry Production Manager

The cold, gloomy weather of the Pacific Ocean doesn’t bother him. He is unfazed by the light, sea-spray drizzle that falls upon him. His hands are buried deep in the pockets of his peacoat that some sailors have called a blanket that could keep them warm in the icy waters of the northern seas.

His eyes are fixated on the horizon of the Long Beach

Photos and photo illustrations by Sebastian Echeverry | Signal Tribune

coast– now dotted with container ships from every part of the globe– as he waits for his United States Navy ship to arrive so he can board and tend to its deck. This individual does not have a name– nor is he really just one person.

Instead, he stands as an embodiment of all U.S. Navy service members that have left to fight since the unit’s induction in the 1700s.

There’s one caveat, as well– he is a bronze statue. Since 2004, the 7-foot-tall Lone Sailor Memorial statue has stood watch, with his Navy-issued seabag plopped on the ground next to him, 24 hours a day, seven days a week at Bluff Park.

On the morning of Oct. 13, Partners of Parks and the Long Beach Veterans Commission co-hosted a public-recognition ceremony at Bluff Park to commemorate the 14th anniversary

of the dedication of the Lone Sailor memorial and the 243rd anniversary of the U.S. Navy.

Braden Phillips, Ret. U.S. Navy captain, gave remarks about the statue and the history it carries with it.

“It is a generic sailor for all seasons, if you will,” Phillips told the Signal Tribune before the event. Since its induction on Oct. 13, 1775, the U.S. Navy has teamed up with the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force to fight the nation’s wars, according to Phillips.

Long Beach’s Lone Sailor memorial does not stand alone.

There are 15 other commemorative Lone Sailor memorials throughout the world; however, the bronze seaman standing at Bluff Park is the only one that looks toward the Pacific Ocean.

In 2002, a woman named Elizabeth Peterson saw the original Lone Sailor memorial

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“It took some coordination, but it was people who participated in a labor of love.”

– Ret. U.S. Navy Captain Braden Phillips in Washington D.C., Phillips told the Signal Tribune before the event.

She told the Long Beach City Council that the city should have its own memorial. Phillips said that Long Beach has always been a “Navy” city.

Long Beach once housed the Pacific Fleet during World War II before it was moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, where it came under attack by Japanese forces at Pearl Harbor.

He also said that it is was sailors, like the ones represented by the Lone Sailor statue, that fended off the attacking force and kept the crippled fleet intact enough to fight throughout the rest of the war.

Once Peterson convinced the city council of the project, Partners of Parks acted as the nonprofit organization that helped

raise money for the memorial.

A year and a half later, a committee of veterans contracted with Stanley Bleifeld, the Lone Sailor’s original sculptor.

“It took some coordination,” Phillips said. “But it was people who participated in a labor of love.”

Many have gone to fight overseas, and many died while at war. Surrounding the Lone Sailor are 500 commemorative bricks– each one engraved with the names of some of those U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines service members who have died and others who are still in service.

Trinka Rowsell, Partners of Parks executive director, told the Signal Tribune that 420 additional bricks have recently been placed at the memorial to

22nd Annual Veterans D ay Parade

commemorate more service members.

For more information on the commemorative bricks, residents can call (562) 570-3209 or visit partnersofparks.org.

During the event, Long Beach resident Marlene Temple said that her late husband– Don Temple, who served in the Korean War– had been commemorated by many people for his service throughout his life, but that his brick located at the feet of the Lone Sailor memorial would have been his highest honor. ✦

Honoring All

Veterans

We thank you for your service and sacrifices. We are forever grateful!

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22nd Annual Veterans D ay Parade

A Salute to Those Who Served

November 10, 2018

New mural memorializes hundreds of veteran faces, one man’s legacy Century Villages at Cabrillo honors the stories of formerly homeless veterans.

Paige Pelonis Multimedia Editor

He was a dairy farmer from Connecticut. She had just graduated high school. Another was following his father’s footsteps, and someone else was a young mother searching for stability. One of them became a drill instructor for the U.S. Army.

Another served in the U.S. Air Force. Some of them served in Vietnam, and others served in Afghanistan. Many are somewhat new to the neighborhood, and one of them lived the last 15 or more years of his life here.

The names and faces that go with these stories, and many others like them, are too many to list, but the life and legacy of one of these is permanently memorialized on the recently completed Veteran Mural Project in the enclosed community of Century Villages at Cabrillo (CVC) in Long Beach.

Samuel Davis, a drill instructor for the U.S. Army, was the second person housed at CVC, a nonprofit organization that provides supportive housing for more than 1,000 veterans each year.

“After I did my two years in the Army, I worked for the motion-picture industry as a stuntman,” Davis told CVC Community Engagement Director Rene Castro during an interview that took place shortly before Davis died. “I worked for Universal, DesiLu Studios, Metro Goldwyn Mayer [...] all of them. I got into stunt work because of my cowboy experience. I used to rope steers.

The NAACP and other organizations had been working to include more African-Americans in film.

I doubled for Apollo Creed in Rocky II, Bill Cosby, Jim Brown, Bernie Casey and Moses Gunn. I worked on the Bionic Woman, 6 Million Dollar Man, Roots...”

Described by those who came to know him around the community as kind and gentle with a large physical frame and pierc-

Courtesy of Century Villages at Cabrillo

A recently completed mural at Century Villages at Cabrillo (CVC) depicts composites of formerly homeless veterans and honors the memory of U.S. Army veteran Samuel Davis, who was the second person housed at CVC.

ing green eyes, Davis is the only true-to-life portrait depicted in the new CVC mural. After a hip injury that required an eventual hip replacement made it difficult for him to continue to work in the industry, Davis found supportive housing at CVC. “I made a lot of money and spent a lot of money,” Davis told Castro. “I was in my 30s, and I thought it would never end. I did it for 20 years.”

Castro spearheaded the coordination of the mural project, which he said was the culmination of at least seven years of concept-building and discussion.

“We knew we wanted to highlight Sam Davis’s story […] he was such a fixture of this place,” Castro said. “His is the only portrait that is in a frame, in a photo frame, and the rest are more like composites.”

Castro said that after approximately 10 months of research and drafting, artist Art Mortim-

er– who drew the artwork before residents of the villages and volunteers painted it last spring– landed on the concept of using a variety of real veteran faces and real veteran bodies mismatched so that the veterans in the mural could be representative of the many individuals, the many ethnicities, the many ages and the many stories of those who served their country and found home in the Villages.

“The majority of our veterans are African American, so we not only want to honor Sam, but also we made sure to really honor the history of veterans of color,” Castro said. “Because veterans of color are disproportionately represented among the homeless.”

Also critical to the planning team for this project was representing each branch of the military.

The Naval Shipyard serves as the backdrop for the entire mural; the two veterans wearing “Army

Veterans” caps represent the U.S. Army; one of the veterans depicted is wearing a USMC T-shirt representing the U.S. Marines; the helicopter in the background represents the U.S. Coast Guard; and the U.S. Air Force is represented by the missing man formation flying above the portrait of Samuel Davis. “‘The Villages’ is a veteran story,” Castro said. “We were founded by Steve Peck– a Marine Corps, Vietnam veteran– so that DNA is in every tree here […] Navy housing, the spirit of the Navy is here, longshoremen, all the workers and their families who lived here for decades.

So, it’s all here– you can feel it when you walk across the campus [...] our history is rooted in military history, our veterans and their stories; so, our first attempt at a mural was honoring that core population, that history.” ✦

November 10, 2018

A Salute to Those Who Served

- HOA and Business Districts

22nd Annual Veterans D ay Parade 19

20 22nd Annual Veterans Day Parade

November 10, 2018

A Salute to Those Who Served

MARINE T

Colors: Scarlet & Gold Mascot: English Bulldog

he United States Marine Corps (USMC) serves as an expeditionary force in readiness.

Their mission is primarily responsible for: the seizure or defense of advanced naval bases and other land operations to support naval campaigns; the development of tactics, technique and equipment used by amphibious landing forces in coordination with the Army and Air Force; and other duties directed by the President.

A committee of the Continental Congress formed two Marine battalions on Nov. 10, 1775 to combat the British– and so began the Continental Marines. In the peacetime that followed the end of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Marines were dissolved, as were other branches of the US Armed Forces, in 1783.

The US agreed with Britain to remain a neutral trader in Britain’s war with revolutionary France; France, though a former ally,

Motto S

was furious and seized American ships trading with Britain. An attempt at negotiation began with French diplomats attempting to extort America via bribery in the infamous XYZ Affair. This incensed the American public and sparked the Quasi-War with France, so called because never was a formal war declared.

Congress mobilized the armed forces, such as the Navy, and in 1798 established the Marine Corps. A treaty ended the Quasi-War in 1800.

The First Barbary War tested the new republic. Pirates from the Barbary Coast (Algiers, Tunis, Morocco, and Tripoli) captured American merchant ships and enslaved their crews. America paid off all the countries to stop the piracy and restitute prisoners save for one country, Tripoli– and the two nations went to war. In 1805, a force combining Marines and mercenaries successfully captured the Tripolitan city of Derna, forcing the ruler to agree to end hostilities and return captured Americans in exchange for ransom.

The Mexican-American War further ce-

S IGNA L T R IBU NE Troops Throughout the Ages

By Neena Strichart

We owe our country’s freedom To those who fought and gave So selflessly and valiantly Their actions were so brave.

“On this Veterans Day…

I am honored to recognize our veterans for their courage and sacrifices while preserving the freedom of our country.”

CONGRESSMAN ALAN LOWENTHAL

Paid for and Authorized by Alan Lowenthal for Congress. ID# C00498212

These soldiers, Men and Women, Protected land and shore.

To them we owe deep gratitude For now and evermore.

With never-ending thanks... from the Staff of the Signal Tribune

November 10, 2018

A Salute to Those Who Served

E CORPS

o Semper Fidelis mented the Marine Corps reputation. The two wars brought the Marines glory, now immortalized in the opening lines of the Marines’ hymn: “From the Halls of Montezuma/To the shores of Tripoli.” The Barbary War also began another Marine Corps tradition, the Mameluke sword. Worn by Marine officers today, the first Mameluke sword was a present from Prince Hamet Bey for the Marines’ victory at Derna; Bey was rightfully restored as ruler of Tripoli from the victory.

The Marines were not strongly involved in the Civil War. In its aftermath, they spent time leading American forces abroad and ashore in the Philippines, Cuba and Puerto Rico. John Philip Sousa joined the Marine Band at age 13 and headed the Marine Corps band in 1880. He would go on to compose the official march of the Marines, “Semper Fidelis,” and the national march of the US, “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” The Marines also quelled the Boxer Rebellion in China.

Marine Corps aviation began in 1912 with the nation’s earliest aviation camp. World War I struck soon after, and the Marines began Parris Island, their

22nd Annual Veterans D ay Parade

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Song

“Marine’s Hymn”

first base dedicated solely to training, which remains today. In 1918, Opha Mae Johnson became the first enlisted female Marine, though she did not serve in a war zone. That same year, Marines legend says they earned the nickname “Devil Dogs” from their German enemies after victory at the Battle of Belleau Wood.

Next came World War II. Between 1942 and 1949, the first wave of black Marines enlisted as America slowly desegregated. Women made further strides with 1943’s formation of the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve– their roles were expanded into manufacturing and assembly. Photographer Joe Rosenthal froze the Marines and the Battle of Iwo Jima in time with his iconic photo featuring five Marines and a Navy corpsman mounting the national flag.

The Marines went on to fight in both the Korean War and the Vietnam War; more Marines were deployed in service during the Vietnam War than World War II. The Marines joined the other branches of the armed services post-9/11 in US operations in the Middle East, especially the Iraq War.

From the Halls of Montezuma, To the shores of Tripoli; We fight our country’s battles In the air, on land, and sea; First to fight for right and freedom And to keep our honor clean: We are proud to claim the title Of United States Marine.

Our flag’s unfurled to every breeze From dawn to setting sun; We have fought in every clime and place Where we could take a gun; In the snow of far-off Northern lands And in sunny tropic scenes; You will find us always on the job. The United States Marines.

Here’s health to you and to our Corps Which we are proud to serve; In many a strife we’ve fought for life And never lost our nerve; If the Army and the Navy Ever look on Heaven’s scenes; They will find the streets are guarded By United States Marines.

Together We Have the Power to Keep the Future Bright We are proud to sponsor the 22nd Annual Long Beach Veterans Day Parade “A Salute to Those Who Serve”

22 22nd Annual Veterans Day Parade

A Salute to Those Who Served

November 10, 2018

Honoring vets through art

Rachael Rifkin

Contributing Writer

E

very person who’s served our country has a story, but the individual experience often gets lost in the enormity of war. The Long Beach Veterans Mural was created to honor our local veterans and share their stories, one person, one face, at a time.

Located in north Long Beach, the mural faces the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Houghton Park. It has also been the starting and finishing point for the annual Long Beach Veterans Day Parade since it was unveiled on Veterans Day in 2006.

Designed by former Long Beach resident and artist Art Mortimer, the mural depicts images of military men and women from all branches of military, from the Civil War to the present. The Long Beach mural program, which is part of the Parks, Recreation & Marine Department, commissioned Mortimer to complete the mural.

“After I got input from the community, I looked for photographs and images that related to the subject,” said Mortimer. “I went to the historical society, got people’s personal photographs and talked to veterans. I always look for pictures that I have some connection to. ”The mural displays all six logos of the armed forces, and a large flag serves as the backdrop for the mural. Starting from the far left, there is an image from 1940 of two Civil War veterans and two army officers saluting. In the center of the mural,

there is a group of Civil War veterans standing with a drum that reads “Long Beach Calif. G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) Martial Band.”

To the right of the Civil War veterans, there are three men celebrating the end of WWI. The man in the center holding the flag and the sailor on the right have switched hats. At top center there are two female pilots. The female pilot on the left is Loretta Foy, who served in the Women Airforce Service Pilots in WWII. To the right of Foy is a family picture of Paul Bice, who served in the South Pacific and the Middle East, and his mother.

Next to the female pilots are two armed servicemen on their base in Korea during the Korean War. They are surrounded by the medals that were awarded to servicemen during Vietnam. Below the female pilots there is an image of Cliff Chaffee, a career Navy man, posing with his biplane in 1937. In 2006, 91-year-old Chaffee served as Honorary Grand Marshall of the Veterans Day Parade.

Next to Chaffee is a group of veterans at the dedication of the Long Beach Vietnam Veterans Memorial. To the right of the group of veterans is former city councilmember Jerry Shultz, a Vietnam veteran and the driving force behind the Long Beach Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

“It’s such an honor to have my picture on the mural, especially when you have kids. It’s always nice to be recognized for your service, especially as a Vietnam vet,” said Shultz. “We didn’t exactly have a welcoming party when we returned. I

served my country, I did my time and I was lucky that I returned.”

To the right of Shultz sits the USS Long Beach, a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser that reminds us of Long Beach’s once strong naval base.

Tuskegee Airman Aaron Herrington is next to the USS Long Beach. The Tuskegee Airmen were America’s first black military airmen. Herrington graduated from the U.S. Army Corps as a second Lieutenant. After the war, he and his wife Maycie settled in Long Beach.

The last image is of PFC George Torres, the first Long Beach marine to die in Iraq. He and his parents lived only a block from the mural.

“One of my favorite images was the picture of PFC George Torres,” Mortimer said. “That was really special because he was related to Dora Cortes, one of the ladies from the redevelopment agency. She took me to her cousin George’s house to meet his parents. His parents were from Mexico, and this had been such a blow to them.

The Marines had sent back his belongings, and his parents hadn’t opened the box yet. But they opened it for me. It was very emotional for them.

His Purple Heart medal was in there.”

Cortes was delighted to find out that George was one of the veterans selected to be in the mural.

“It’s an awesome feeling to know that my cousin is in the mural and has affected so many people,” Cortes said. “When I walk by with somebody, I get to say, ‘Hey, that’s my cousin.’ It makes me a proud American and makes me proud of my family and my culture.”

November 10, 2018

A Salute to Those Who Served

22nd Annual Veterans D ay Parade

Some connections just mean more.

Happy Veterans Day from Long Beach Transit.

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2422nd Annual Veterans Day Parade

A Salute to Those Who Served

November 10, 2018

The Long Beach V T

his mural is a tribute to Long Beach veterans in the U.S. armed services. It is painted on the side of a building facing Houghton Park, in north Long Beach on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Harding Street. It is directly across the street from a Vietnam veterans memorial in the park. This intersection is the starting and finishing point for Long Beach’s annual Veterans Day Parade and is a fitting location to honor Long Beach veterans.

The mural depicts historical images of Long Beach veterans of many conflicts, from the Civil War through Iraq, as well as medals honoring veterans for bravery and service. These images are arrayed against a patriotic banner flowing the length of the wall.

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his image is of three servicemen on their base in Korea during the Korean War. The soldier in the center is the uncle of one of the veterans who helped with the planning and research of the mural. This image is flanked by two medals awarded to U.S. servicemen for serving in Vietnam.

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his historical image (right) is of a military band of Civil War veterans. The writing on the bass drum reads “Long Beach Calif.

G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) Martial band.” It is painted from a historical photo taken some time after the Civil War.

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n the left is the USS Long Beach, a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser. Long Beach has a long history as the site of a large Navy Base, now closed, and the city is home to many Navy veterans. On the right is a portrait of Aaron Herrington, who was a Tuskegee Airman and Long Beach resident. The Tuskegee Airmen were a squadron of AfricanAmerican pilots who performed heroically and very successfully in Europe during WWII, escorting U.S. bombers and in aerial combat with enemy fighters. They never lost a bomber.

Photos courtesy ArtMortimer.com