A Uniform Plea That Those Who Serve Not Be Forgotten

All who were listening heard the plea.

It was spoken by every veteran who gave a speech or offered a prayer or unveiled a memorial: a plea to the nation from those who fought for it.

Disabled Vietnam War veteran George Gentry, speaking at El Toro Memorial Park cemetery, made the plea not only for those who fought the nation’s wars, but for the men and women serving today in faraway places like Bosnia and Macedonia as well.

“Do something to let these guys know that people back home haven’t forgotten them . . . and that we appreciate what they’re doing,” he said.

Gentry, a former infantry platoon leader, spoke to about 200 who gathered at 11 a.m., the hour hostilities ended World War I 80 years ago. Wearing the overseas caps of their fraternal groups, aging veterans stood alongside Pearl Harbor survivors--shivering in their traditional Hawaiian shirts, white slacks and white shoes--in a cold drizzle to honor the men and women who served in America’s armed forces.

The patriotic ceremony, which included color guards from various veterans groups, was one of dozens of Veterans Day programs held around Orange County and in communities throughout Southern California to honor those who wore their nation’s uniform.

Originally intended to commemorate America’s dead from World War I, which ended Nov. 11, 1918, the holiday was known as Armistice Day until 1953, when the day was set aside to honor all of the nation’s veterans.

The observances paid tribute to veterans of war. But on this day, the veterans asked the nation for something else too--thankfulness, remembrance, pride.

“We want them to know why there is a Veterans Day and to learn to respect those who have given their lives and fought for this country,” said Dale Sampson, a Vietnam War veteran who lives in Pico Rivera. “We want them to be thankful and carry the pride we have, carry it into the next generation.”

Under drizzly skies Wednesday, Southern Californians observed Veterans Day with the traditional ceremonies, speeches, buglers and bagpipes.

The day’s celebration unfolded in many ways. At the Veteran’s Administration Healthcare Center in Westwood, Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera marked the 50th anniversary of the Korean War.

West Hollywood took a step toward the creation of a permanent monument, unveiling a picture of a planned veterans memorial. It will be built in a triangle formed by Holloway and Santa Monica boulevards, said 79-year-old Sal Guarriello, a West Hollywood City Council member who was a combat medic in World War II and received a Purple Heart.

Proposed by a committee of veterans, the memorial will pay tribute to the sacrifices made by veterans. Guarriello seized upon the idea two years ago after a friend took a group of high school students to France and learned that the students knew little about World War II.

“That’s what really got me on the horn to start to do something in my city,” he said.

In Pico Rivera, about 200 people gathered for a ceremony that included elected officials and veteran Frank Turiace, a former Marine who earned a Purple Heart and Silver Star. Children also participated in the ceremony, Sampson said. And they were there for a purpose.

“We need the young people to carry the torch for us because we’re getting up in years,” Sampson said. “We need for them to have an understanding of . . . who are the heroes.”

In Ventura, about 300 people gathered at Ivy Lawn Cemetery for an hourlong Veterans Day remembrance service.

A lone piper played “Amazing Grace,” and a pair of antique war planes soared overhead.

Jim Martinez, 50, of Santa Paula stood silently in khaki pants and silver veterans jacket at the rear of the crowd, remembering the Vietnam War.

Time has soothed bitterness and resentment, he said, that hung between soldiers of his era and those of earlier wars at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1679 in Ventura.

“They understand we went through hell ourselves,” Martinez said. “We’ve come to an understanding: We all fought, we all bled and whether we agree with the politics or not, we did what we were asked to do.”

Back at El Toro, another speaker asked the audience to say a special prayer for the more than 2,000 Americans missing in action in the Vietnam War.

Michael Duboce, who said his uncle was a Vietnam casualty, brushed away a tear when a bugler finished playing Taps.

“He was my mother’s little brother and was killed before his 20th birthday. I’m his namesake and know him only by the photos that we have,” Duboce said.

Many of the veterans attending Wednesday’s ceremony are World War II vets, whose numbers diminish every year. At the end of the event, the mother of one serviceman killed in Vietnam reminded the audience about ceremonies planned at the cemetery on Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Day, and Memorial Day.

“Let’s hope that we’re still around,” one Pearl Harbor survivor said to nobody in particular.

Times staff writers Ann L. Kim, Jose Cardenas, Zerline A. Hughes and correspondent Nick Green contributed to this report.