Hundreds gather to honor veterans at McCambridge Park in Burbank

Hundreds stood at attention Friday morning as retired Chief Warrant Officer Gary Linfoot made his way to the podium at McCambridge Park — aided by his wife, Mari, and the use of a robotic exoskeleton, which is a suit that returns movement to the hips and knees.

The retired Army officer was the guest speaker at the city of Burbank’s annual Veterans Day ceremony this year. Coming from a military family, Linfoot said he was inspired to serve after seeing the sacrifices his relatives have made.

“Veterans have always been my personal heroes and people that I’ve always looked up to,” he said. “They played a great part in forming me as a young man.”

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The Tennessee resident, who grew up in Huntington Park, enlisted in the Army in 1987 and flew helicopter missions for years. He was paralyzed in 2008 after a helicopter he was flying experienced a malfunction and crashed in Iraq. It was his 19th combat tour in the country.

Now, the ex-soldier gets around using an exoskeleton that was acquired for him by a nonprofit called Infinite Hero Foundation.

Regardless of the circumstances, Linfoot said he’s proud to be a veteran and thankful for the support he and others have received.

“Coming home for different generations of veterans is different, for Vietnam it was very difficult. It was shameful what happened,” he said. “It was that group of veterans that made sure when this generation’s [veterans] came home, we came home to celebration and open arms — for that, I’m truly grateful.”

The ceremony has been held at the park for the last 28 years. Organized by the Burbank Veterans Committee, the first event was held in 1988 at the dedication of the Korean and Vietnam War Memorial.

Mickey DePalo, the committee’s chair, said the memorial was a way for the city to honor its residents who lost their lives in service to their country.

“Burbank has always given a lot of respect to its veterans and their families,” he said.

City native Kattee Kokrak, a sergeant in the Marines, was also honored during the ceremony as part of the city’s Military Service Recognition Program, which honors local residents who joined the armed forces with individualized banners that hang along Third Street.

Kokrak’s mother, Tenly Bates, was on hand to receive the banner because Kokrak was unable to attend.

“It’s just been such a pleasure driving by and seeing her name there and all of the other names of people that she knew and others after her,” she said.

Mayor Jess Talamantes and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) also expressed their appreciation for veterans during the ceremony.

The mayor said veterans deserve respect every day, not just on holidays.

“It’s important for us to reflect on the sacrifices and commitments of all those who have greatly served this nation. Let us honor our veterans,” he said.

The congressman said that the most inspiring part of his job is the opportunity to meet service members and praised Linfoot for his bravery and sacrifice.

Schiff also took the time to reflect on the presidential election. The country is divided and its people owe it to veterans to bridge that divide, he said.

“We owe it to those who have served this country in uniform, those who have fought and sacrificed for this country,” he said. “We owe it to them to come together again as a country and work on perfecting our union”

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Andy Nguyen, andy.nguyen@latimes.com

Twitter: @Andy_Truc