Veterans Day ceremony at La Crescenta’s Two Strike Park honors women in uniform

For an hour on Friday, Two Strike Park in La Crescenta was again a place to honor the community’s veterans, with a spotlight on the women who presently or in the past wore an armed services uniform.

American Legion Post 288 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1614 organized the annual Veterans Day celebration. They honored seven women from the La Crescenta and Glendale community, with four in attendance, to receive a certificate of appreciation for their service before a crowd of about 100 people.

The program opened with a flag salute, the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” as performed by a local elementary school student.

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Following the chaplain’s invocation, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) addressed the crowd and reaffirmed his commitment to get the Pentagon to halt collection of repayments from California National Guard service members who were given unauthorized reenlistment bonuses, calling it “appalling.”

Schiff said he also did his best to console anyone discouraged by the recent election results, repeating what his father, a veteran, once told him.

“You know what we used to say in the Army? You’re not saluting the man, you’re saluting the uniform,” Schiff said, quoting his father. “In the context of civilian life, it means we respect the presidency whether we voted for the person or not.”

Then each female veteran received, along with certificates, an American Legion Challenge Coin, which allows participation in a military tradition. A “Coin Check” can be initiated as a type of drinking game, where all people in a group of veterans who heard the challenge must show their Challenge Coin or buy a round of drinks.

The women honored, who were in attendance, were Megan Rodriguez, U.S. Air Force; Ellen Romaine, U.S. Army; Claudia De Leon, Marine Corps; and Col. Nancy Summer, U.S. Air Force.

The honorees not in attendance were Gisele Ashook, U.S. Army; Lt. Col. Terre Fallon, U.S. Army; and Susan Kanim, Air National Guard.

Rodriguez is from Glendale and was stationed in North Dakota with the Air Force before her unit was downsized. She currently works as the veteran’s representative for state Sen. Carol Liu (D-La Cañada Flintridge).

“Women being recognized as veterans is a huge deal,” Rodriguez said. “It’s very encouraging and empowering to be recognized as a women veteran especially by our female counterparts.”

Boy Scout Troop 288 performed a flag retirement ceremony, where strips of retired, worn American flags are burned with members of the audience asked to participate.

The ceremony closed with the “Armed Forces Medley,” recognizing those in attendance who have served from each branch of the military.

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Jeff Landa, jeff.landa@latimes.com

Twitter: @JeffLanda