Viet Veterans Will Honor U.S. War Dead With a Tribute to the Living

The best way to honor America’s war dead on Memorial Day is to pay tribute to the living, according to a Vietnam veterans spokesman.

Awards will be presented to a firefighter, advocate for the homeless, teacher and others at an “In Service to America Ball” sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans of San Diego, said executive director Robert Van Keuren.

The ball, at 6 p.m. Monday at the San Diego Hilton Hotel on Mission Bay, will honor those who have sacrificed their lives by paying tribute to those who have made contributions to the citizens of San Diego, said Van Keuren.

“By honoring those who serve San Diego and our nation today, we honor the memory of those who have given their lives to protect our right to participate in our communities as free citizens,” he said.

Sen. Pete Wilson, state Sen. Wadie Deddeh, Assemblywoman Sunny Mojonnier, County Supervisor Leon Williams and City Councilman Bob Filner also will be recognized.

The group’s eighth annual reading of names of the more than 500 San Diegans who died in Vietnam or who are listed as missing in action will begin at 4 p.m. today and continue through Sunday at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, at San Diego Avenue and Twiggs Street in Old Town.

San Diego high school students will be paired with Vietnam veterans for the reading to give students “a fuller understanding of the Vietnam War, our nation’s involvement in it and the true meaning of Memorial Day,” Van Keuren said.

The reading concludes Sunday with a memorial service at 5 p.m. Vietnam veteran Robert White, a retired Marine colonel of the county’s Veteran Service Office, will speak.

A variety of activities will mark Memorial Day weekend. More than 50,000 miniature American flags will be placed on graves at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery for Monday’s 10 a.m. service. Tributes will be held at 11 a.m. at Glen Abbey Memorial Park in Bonita and at 1:30 p.m. at El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego.

The San Marcos Veterans of Foreign Wars will conduct a 10 a.m. ceremony Monday at San Marcos Cemetery. The program includes an honor guard of Purple Heart veterans, buglers from San Marcos High School and a free buffet. Bishop Robert H. Brom of the San Diego Roman Catholic Diocese will celebrate an 11 a.m. Mass on Monday in the chapel at Holy Cross Cemetery, 4470 Hilltop Drive.

Schools, banks, Post Offices, libraries and government offices will be closed Monday.

Metered parking in the city of San Diego will not be enforced Monday, and trash collections will be one day later than normal during the week. The Miramar Landfill will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday.

San Diego lakes, including El Capitan, Hodges, Miramar, Lake Murray, Otay and Sutherland will be open from sunrise to sunset. San Vincente will be open, for water skiing only, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Chollas Lake, which offers fishing for children 15 and younger, will be open 6:30 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.

The Sun Runner beach shuttle begins its summer run Saturday. The shuttle costs 25 cents and runs every 20 minutes, Wednesday through Sunday, taking riders to Mission and Pacific beaches. Beachgoers can park and board the trolley with all their gear at Mission Bay High School, 2475 Grand Avenue, or at any one of the 49 other stops. Call San Diego Transit, 233-3004, for details.

For the motivated, the third annual Senior Olympic Games will be Sunday and Monday at the Jewish Community Center, 4079 54th Street. Nearly 1,000 athletes, ranging in age from 55 to 95, will go for the gold in 17 events begining at 9 a.m. Sunday. Competition continues Monday at 10 a.m. in such events as tennis, swimming, golf and track and field.

For those looking for a more esoteric weekend, the San Diego Whole Life Expo runs today through Monday at the San Diego Convention Center, 111 W. Harbor Drive. The expo includes more than 125 specialists and 300 exhibits on New Age topics such as metaphysics, crystals, channeling, psychics and nutrition.

Speakers include Christina Crawford, author of “Mommie Dearest;” Susan Forward, author of “Men Who Hate Women (and the Women Who Love Them)”; John Lee, who presents lectures on masculine compulsions: sex, work, drugs, love and loneliness; and former Harvard professor Timothy Leary. Admission each day is $12, with a $6 preview Friday. Call 1-800-776-7007 for information and reservations.