PLACENTIA : Monument to Those in Military Unveiled

A white marble and black granite monument honoring Placentia’s military veterans and active duty service personnel was unveiled at a public dedication ceremony Saturday.

Installed adjacent to City Hall and police headquarters, the monument is designed to be reminiscent of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, said Chris Becker, Placentia’s director of public works.

A slab of white Georgia marble in the center of the monument bears the names of about 20 hometown service personnel who were killed in action. The marble is also engraved with an eagle and emblems of the five branches of the Armed Forces.

Flanking the center column are two polished black India granite side panels containing the names of about 300 military veterans and active-duty personnel.

“A lot of people come up and find their dad or uncle’s name,” Becker said. “Then their faces light up. It’s really neat.”

Placentia Veterans Committee chairman Dana Haas, a 67-year-old Rockwell retiree, said it took about three years to complete the monument project. Although Haas served in World War II and the Korean War during his 20 years with the Marine Corps, he enlisted in Massachusetts and is therefore not eligible to be listed on the monument.

That honor is reserved for veterans and active-duty personnel who were raised, educated or entered the service from Placentia.

The city paid about $30,000 for the monument project, Becker said. The Veterans Committee is starting a fund to cover maintenance costs and the expense of adding more names.