Groups to Hold Veterans Day Ceremonies

South Bay residents and organizations will observe Veterans Day today as they honor men and women who have served in the armed forces.

A reception will be held at the Torrance Historical Society, 1345 Post Ave., for Korean War veterans of the 578th Engineer Battalion and others who might be interested in Korean War memorabilia. The battalion, with companies in Torrance, Wilmington, Manhattan Beach and Inglewood, was activated Sept. 1, 1950, along with elements of the 40th Infantry Division, California National Guard. The battalion participated in the Korean winter and summer campaigns of 1952 as part of the 10th U.S. Army Corps and remained in Korea until 1954.

A plaque honoring POWs and MIAs will be presented to San Pedro’s Green Hills Memorial Park at 11 a.m. today in ceremonies performed by South Bay veterans’ organizations. The speaker will be Col. Thomas Moore, commanding officer of the Division of Port Command, 40th Infantry Division.

Veterans’ groups in Gardena will participate in noon services in the Lucille Randolph Plaza, Gardena Civic Center Complex, co-sponsored by the Gardena Valley Veterans Organizations and the Gardena War Memorial Committee.

Taking part in the Gardena services will be members of VFW Posts 3261 and 1961, American Legion Posts 488 and 187, AMVETS Post 30, Pearl Harbor Survivors Assn. Chapter I; World War I Barracks, Royal Canadian Legion Post 13; VFW Ladies Auxiliary Post 3261, American Legion Auxiliary Post 187, AMVETS Auxiliary Post 30 and the World War I Auxiliary.

At 10 a.m., “America With Love,” a nationwide effort to collect 1 million letters for service people overseas, will hold a press conference on the lower level of the Main Plaza, Del Amo Fashion Center, Torrance. Campaign representatives will describe the facsimile network set up across the country so that letters can be faxed to Washington and shipped to military bases all over the world in time for the holidays. Hourly updates will be provided on the number of letters collected.

A Veterans Day program will be held in Redondo Beach at 11 a.m. Saturday at Veterans Park, 309 Esplanade. In Westchester, youth groups will take the lead in Veterans Day activities, to be held at 8 p.m. at Westchester Elks Lodge, 8025 W. Manchester Ave. The program features Westchester Girl Scout troops, the Hawthorne High School Band, the Westchester Sea Cadets Color Guard and patriotic singing led by Jessie Holmes. The event is sponsored by the Westchester/Playa del Rey Veterans Memorial Committee.

Schools, banks and all state, federal, city and county offices, including courts and post offices, will be closed today.