Old Soldiers’ Memories Don’t Fade Away : World War II: At an Orange Coast College ceremony, veterans share their stories with those too young to remember the sacrifices and heroism.

James E. Lynott hadn’t spent a lot of time telling tales about his experiences in World War II, hadn’t even seen his uniform since his wife packed it away in a garment bag long ago.

It took the questions of his 8-year-old grandson, Shawn Maldonaldo, to remind Lynott, 71, that the lessons of World War II--the stories that once seemed such a part of the American fabric--were fading with the veterans of that last world battle.

“He always wanted to see my hat and coat,” said Lynott of Costa Mesa, who pulled out his uniform recently amid the flurry of World War II 50th anniversary celebrations. “He wanted to know about it.”

So Saturday, the tall, silver-haired former infantry officer in a brown cowboy hat and the small boy in a Hawaiian shirt stood tall, shoulders back, with their hands folded behind their backs, as officers from every branch of the military told the story of World War II.

In a staccato cadence reminiscent of the BBC broadcasts during the war, the military officers relived American victories during a tribute to veterans on the 50th anniversary of V-J Day, the end of World War II, at LeBard Stadium at Orange Coast College.

“I liked it a lot,” said Shawn Maldonaldo, smiling shyly. “I liked the music and the stories.”

And nearly every veteran gathered with family and friends in the bleachers had one to share. Many acknowledged it will be up to their now-middle-aged children and grandchildren to tell these stories in decades to come.

“In 10 years, when it’s 60 years after the war, there’ll be a lot fewer of them here,” said Betty Parry, 71, whose husband, Bill, served overseas while she worked for the Air Force as a civilian in Los Angeles.

Saturday, they mounted the bleachers on age-weakened legs, their soldiers’ posture curving under 50 years of time, their eyesight dimming.

But still as crisp as if it were yesterday were their memories.

They were young men then fresh from farms or snapped up off city streets, but they stormed the Normandy beach on D-day, fought the Battle of the Bulge, invaded exotic locales such as Morocco and Algiers. Some lost limbs; some lost family.

Orange Coast College, which sits on property that was once part of the Santa Ana Army Air Base, plans to erect a commemorative plaque in the campus quad dedicated to the 16 million Americans who served in the war. The plaque reads in part: “Through their sacrifices they defeated the military powers of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperialist Japan. Their gallant efforts saved our nation’s liberties. They understood the price of freedom.”

Medal of Honor winner Walter D. Ehlers of Buena Park echoed the sentiments of many of the more than 700 veterans and their families in the audience when he said, to hearty applause, that the words of the plaque are “a truth that our heirs must never forget.”