Military L.A.

Veterans Day, which was Wednesday, marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War I, Nov. 11, 1918. Originally called Armistice Day, the name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all who had served America in all wars.

In 1968 Congress changed Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October--but that obviously had to do with long weekends, not historical significance. It was changed back in 1978.

This weekend, take time to visit some of the sites that show Los Angeles’ deep military history.

Friday

Weekdays are best for a stop at the Los Angeles National Cemetery (950 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Westwood, [310] 268-4494) because the office is open and handouts and maps are available. The cemetery is open every day, however, from about 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The sheer number of graves--more than 82,000--in their perfectly aligned rows can be overwhelming. The first soldier was buried there in 1889. Veterans from every conflict since the Civil War are buried there. There are also 14 recipients of the Medal of Honor interred there, including Chris Carr (section 275, G-15), a longtime resident of Huntington Beach who single-handedly took out multiple German machine gun placements during World War II.

Saturday

Los Angeles’ military installations naturally defended its coastline, so San Pedro and the Los Angeles Harbor are great places to spend Saturday.

The Ft. MacArthur Military Museum (Angels Gate Park, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro, [310] 548-2631, Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m.) is a coastal defense position built in 1916. After use as coastal defense in World War II, it became a Nike missile installation until 1975. The fort itself is 20 acres, but on the 60-acre site around it are U.S. Army barracks--about 3,000 members of the coastal artillery would have been stationed there--and tunnels the soldiers used.

Over in the Port of Los Angeles, Berth 94 is the home to the SS Lane Victory Memorial Museum (Berth 94, Los Angeles Harbor, San Pedro, [310] 519-9545, daily 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), a museum on board a 455-foot cargo ship launched from Los Angeles in 1944 and restored by U.S. Merchant Marine veterans. Though 6,795 seamen lost their lives and 674 ships sank while delivering supplies during World War II, Merchant Marines weren’t given veteran status until 1988. Also nearby at Berth 84 is the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, (310) 548-7618, which has, among other things, a model of the Titanic.

The Villages at Ports ‘o Call, at Berth 77, is a good place to grab lunch before heading to the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum (1052 Banning Blvd., Wilmington, [310] 548-7509, Tuesdays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., weekends, 12:30 to 3 p.m.). That’s right, the Civil War. Camp Drum--one of the few outposts of that era still standing--housed about 7,000 Union soldiers before it closed in 1871. Now it’s a museum of Civil War artifacts.

Sunday

The Museum of Flying (2772 Donald Douglas Loop N., Santa Monica, [310] 392-8822, Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; $7 adults, $5 seniors, $3 kids) holds a Veterans Day celebration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Not only will there be vintage war planes and military vehicles, but Roland Sperry, one of the original Flying Tigers, will speak at 3 p.m.

The event is free for veterans.