Price of Freedom : Crowds Gather to Salute the County’s War Veterans

Standing under blue skies, buffeted by crisp winds, thousands of Ventura County residents celebrated Veterans Day on Friday with patriotic anthems, passionate speeches and tributes to those who died for their country.

*

“Fifty-two years ago today, at 11 a.m., I was sworn into the United States Navy as an aviation cadet,” Camarillo Mayor Ken Gose said during a celebration at Constitution Park in Camarillo.

“When I am abroad and I see the American flag raised, I get lumps in my throat. Our flag represents freedom, and with freedom--which was fought for by so many of you--comes responsibility.”

Similar ceremonies throughout the county allowed veterans and their families to hear speeches of thanks from local politicians and dignitaries, including state Sen. Cathie Wright and county Supervisor Vicky Howard, who spoke in Simi Valley.

About 100 people--including veterans from World Wars I and II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War--gathered at Constitution Park by a black marble wall built last spring in honor of the city’s war veterans.

During the hourlong celebration, sponsored by American Legion Post 382 of Camarillo, the audience heard speakers praise the men and women who fought.

Speakers also asked the audience to show the same kind of courage today that American soldiers have shown in wars.

“We need to recapture the courage which turned wilderness into cities and bound them together under governments. We can turn slums into comfortable homes and uncertainties into certainties,” said Daryl G. Johnson, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War.

In the audience, Vietnam veteran Mel Umberger, wearing an American flag T-shirt, solemnly listened.

“I plan to go to as many celebrations as I can today,” said Umberger, who had taken the day off from work. “I feel very strong and proud about my country, and I appreciate people in the community putting together a celebration like this.”

Throughout the day in Ventura, hundreds showed up at the south lawn of the Ventura County Government Center to view a half-size replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall, which has returned to the county for a week.

Dressed in a worn green Army jacket studded with medals, Richard Brandl of Oak View traced the name of a Vietnam buddy who died during battle at the age of 19.

“This gives me an opportunity to thank the good Lord for being back in my country,” Brandl said. “I’ll take this home and put it by my bed.”

Nearby, 14-year-old Paula Chavez of Oxnard cried as she listened to Vietnam veteran Tom Van Putten tell of the 13 months he spent in prison and his 21-day trek through the Vietnamese jungles to escape.

“It breaks my heart to hear him,” Paula said. “I know it hurts a lot because my grandfather was in Vietnam and he is so traumatized that he can’t come here and look at the wall.”

At the end of the day, as 100 candles burned, members of the Ventura County Vietnam Veterans solemnly read the names of the 250 California service members whose bodies have never been found.

In Oxnard, about 80 people gathered at Plaza Park, where the names of two World War II veterans were added to a memorial.

In Thousand Oaks, members of the Military Order of the World Wars gathered at Conejo Creek Park for a flag ceremony and a flyover by restored World War II aircraft.

And in Simi Valley, Supervisor Howard summed up the sentiments of her fellow speakers during an hourlong ceremony at Rancho Tapo Park.

“We must remember that our very precious freedoms were purchased with the lives and sacrifices of our veterans,” Howard said.

Meade Phillips, commander of the local chapter of the Marine Corps League, also reminded the audience that Veterans Day had once been known as Armistice Day, to commemorate the end of World War I on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month 76 years ago.

“That was the war to end all wars,” Phillips said. “And what a day this would have been if that were true.”

Correspondent Scott Hadly contributed to this report.