City of Glendale honors veterans and fallen heroes
Local leaders and families who have lost loved ones during wars gathered at Glendale City Hall’s war memorial Monday for a ceremony honoring the community’s fallen heroes.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge), state Assemblywoman Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) and Mayor Zareh Sinanyan made opening remarks, urging the audience to not only honor the estimated 1.5 million Americans who have lost their lives during wars, but to remember the soldiers who do return home safely.
Ruth Wong, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and director for the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, was the event’s keynote speaker. She told stories about people she has come across during her years with the department, including the story of Tony, a veteran who lost his daughter and whose marriage fell apart, events that plunged him into depression and, ultimately, prison.
Wong highlighted the work of the department, which has given veterans the care they need to pull themselves out of low points after returning from military service.
Other speakers touched on their different experiences with soldiers or veterans, but each reiterated that veterans need more support.
Portantino recalled a recent trip to Korea, where he visited the Korean War Memorial and noted that 7,000 soldiers who fought in that war remain unaccounted for.
“It was extremely powerful and touching to see the [names] of the thousands of Californians who paid the ultimate price, who went off to war and didn’t come back,” he said.
Portantino, whose father served in the armed forces, said his family has struggled with depression and mental-health issues and told the audience that the challenges with mental illness that soldiers sometimes face can lead to death.
“I think, we as a society, have to remember and respect the veterans who come home and make sure they have the service they need,” he said. “To think, every day we lose a veteran to mental-health issues because we don’t step up and respect and embrace those who come back.”
Friedman echoed those statements, adding that more needs to be done to educate young people about why the United States fights wars. She said one-fifth of young Americans don’t know why the United States fought in World War II and 40% of Americans don’t know anything about the Auschwitz concentration camp.
“That’s shocking,” she said. “We have to strive to teach our children history to teach them about the wars, why we fought the wars. Because if we don’t do that, we diminish the memories and sacrifice that people made.”
She said Americans have sometimes failed, as a nation, to offer living veterans support.
“We have to make sure they are supported,” she said. “We need to make sure that every day we live the ideals that people fought for — for mercy, for truth, for justice, for freedom,” Friedman said.
The Memorial Day event also included a POW/MIA ceremony conducted by retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. David Worley, which honored soldiers who were prisoners of war or missing in action.
alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com
Twitter: @r_valejandra
