Southland Remembers Its Veterans

Ninety-nine-year-old Michael Wendell, dressed jauntily in cap and sports jacket, grabbed the flagpole and hoisted himself out of his wheelchair.

Holding tightly to the pole, the veteran raised the American flag over the grounds of the Veterans Administration Medical Center in West Los Angeles. “It was quite an honor. It made me feel very proud; I’ve never raised a flag before,” Wendell, a nursing-home resident, said later of his participation in the Veterans Day celebration. The event also included a flyover by six World War II-vintage planes, a written message from President Reagan, singing of the National Anthem and a lone bugler playing “Taps.”

The celebration was one of a score of such activities held throughout the Southland on Friday, as participants saluted the country’s servicemen by singing, praying, marching and even participating in a letter-writing campaign to overseas soldiers.

Wendell, who was savoring the moment, explained that during World War I he was assigned to the battleship Maine, which was escorting troops and materials from the United States to Europe. The battleship was the second by that name, the first having been sunk during the Spanish-American War.

“I had a job to do and I did the best job I could. A lot of people don’t have that honor,” Wendell said of his eight years in the service as a chief boiler tender.

Across town at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, hundreds of veterans participated in the area’s largest celebration, with a colorful presentation by 33 flag-carrying color guards, including contingents from the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Ex-Prisoners of War, and Vietnam Veterans, Post 8, VFW, Jewish War Veterans, Filipino American Veterans, Women’s Army Corps Veterans Assn., the Royal Canadian Legion and the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

In a unique twist on the veterans’ theme, seven cities nationwide, including Los Angeles, are participating in a pen pal campaign with the 500,000 members of the armed forces now serving in 21 countries.

300,000 Letters

Since September, civilians have written more than 300,000 letters of thanks to the soldiers, and deposited them at collection points where they were sent by electronic mail to Virginia for distribution during the coming holidays. Those who still want to participate can send their letters in care of “From America With Love,” Lanier Voice Products, 8500 Hilltop Road, Fairfax, Va., 22031.

“The response has been incredible,” said spokeswoman Maria Jernigan, noting that many school classes have been participating in the project.

In other Veterans Day observances:

- Former President Gerald Ford dedicated the new General George Patton Memorial Museum at Chiriaco Summit, 30 miles east of Indio in Riverside County.

- In East Los Angeles, a scale model of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was displayed during a special program for Latino veterans.

- In Glendale, new landscaping was dedicated at the Hyperion Bridge. The span was dedicated in 1929 as a memorial to veterans of World War I. And for those who did not get a chance to celebrate Friday, the Veterans Memorial Foundation International is gathering at 10 a.m. today in Highland Park for a special program that will include music by the Eagle Rock High School Band, ROTC drills and speeches by community leaders.

Martin Fishman, a retired San Fernando Valley electronics engineer, who is president of the group, said:

“The interest in Veterans Day is increasing every year. There is more prestige, and more people ask to participate. It’s because people realize that it’s important that we defended the country and are ever ready to defend. We can’t be complacent and say it will never happen again. Because it can.”