Paying Tribute to Those Who Gave All for U.S.

HUNTINGTON BEACH — The McFadden brothers gazed at the names etched in black granite on the new Huntington Beach veterans’ memorial and recalled faces of high school classmates from 45 years ago, killed in the Korean War.

“Richard Cruz of Seal Beach. Hell, we used to play basketball and football with him,” said Dave McFadden, 66, who served with the Air Force in Korea.

His brother, J.P. McFadden, 65, who served with the Marines in Korea and Vietnam, noted the name of another contemporary--John Diemer, who was awarded the Silver Star for bravery for killing eight of the enemy in Korea before getting shot and killed, only six months after he graduated from Huntington Beach High School.

They also pointed out their uncle, Ryverz L. Allen, a member of Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s staff in World War II before he was captured on Corregidor in the Philippines in 1942 and died after two years in a Japanese prison camp.

The monument lists 89 casualties from the Huntington Beach area, 11 of whom are still missing in action from World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

Vietnam veteran Bob Kakuk struggled for a year to get the monument erected after he discovered the old veterans’ memorial at City Hall listed the local dead from only the two world wars.

“‘It’s been a long time coming,” Kakuk said. “We need to think of Memorial Day and Veterans Day as not just holidays to have a picnic and a barbecue. We need to honor our veterans who gave so much for this country.”

About 250 people attended the unveiling ceremonies Monday morning at City Hall, which featured U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) singing “God Bless the USA” while accompanying himself on guitar.

A light breeze kept the American and POW/MIA flags unfurled over the monument. Meanwhile, three Army helicopters flew overhead in formation, and a Marine bugler played taps, choking up some in the crowd that included old veterans in uniform and small children.

Huntington Beach Mayor Ralph H. Bauer said the memorial will help people “remember the sacrifice of the hundreds of thousands who served, and the tens of thousands who gave their all for our liberty.”

Bauer, who served on a Navy minesweeper in Korea, read from the James Michener book “The Bridges at Toko-ri,” about heroism during that war: “Why is America lucky enough to have such men? . . . Where do we get such men?”

“I know where we get such men,” Bauer continued. “We get them from the barrios of East L.A. and the farmlands of Salinas. We get them from the projects of San Francisco and the posh neighborhoods of Beverly Hills. And yes, we get them from the beaches of Huntington Beach.”

Pete Wiseman of Costa Mesa said the monument to the war dead is a reminder to the rest of us: “It keeps you from taking your freedom for granted. This is the price here paid for that.

“Think of that before you have your barbecues or whatever,” said Wiseman, 48, who served with the Army in Vietnam.

But the McFaddens said that part of American heritage is being given short shrift and needs to be emphasized more.

Pearl Harbor survivor Anthony J. Iantorno, 78, of Long Beach said he’s surprised when he visits schools at how little history the students know.

Kakuk said he was glad to see people bring their small children to the festivities Monday, saying the memorial is “for the kids. We need to pass it on--and hope we don’t have to add any more names to this list.”

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Throughout the U.S., veterans are honored. A28