Laguna Beach honors veterans with ceremony at Monument Point
Rolling cliffs looked down upon the vast ocean below at Monument Point, a visage of the splendor that is Laguna Beach.
For those who have spent even a few hours in the seaside community, it is a privilege to take in its beauty.
And it pales in comparison to the most important privilege of all: freedom.
Service men and women were honored in a Veterans Day ceremony attended by a couple hundred people on Thursday in Heisler Park.
“We are here today to offer thanks and to pay our respects to our veterans for their service and their sacrifices,” Laguna Beach Mayor Bob Whalen said. “As we stand here at Monument Point, we see all that our veterans have protected and preserved for us. We stand on free soil, we look out on an ocean that is safe for travel, and we stand under crystal blue skies without fear of invasion.
“But none of this happens by accident. It exists because of the courage, dedication, sacrifice and bravery of the millions of American women and men who have served their country.”
The program included music performed by the First Marine Division Band, a C-17 flyover conducted by members of the Air Force 452 Air Mobility Wing and recognition of the 75th anniversary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5868.
Those who have served stood and were acknowledged while their respective branch’s song was played during a performance of the Armed Forces Salute.
Col. Charlie Quilter, who served in the Marine Corps, gave a brief history of the various campaigns that the U.S. military has been involved in since World War II during his remarks as the keynote speaker.
“In a way, our organization, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, exists to preserve the memory of the service of our veterans in these far-away places, and our numbers diminish,” Quilter said. “Forty years ago, 18% of Americans were veterans. Today, it’s just 7%. In a few months, I will be 80 years old, and I’m acutely aware that as a veteran, I am a survivor.
“In Vietnam, I lost 25 friends, and that was a significant percentage of the people I knew as a young man, and on a day like today, I think about them. Yes, I know it’s not Memorial Day, but I can’t help it.
“Those that were lost in combat, and I lost a few more in Desert Storm and Iraq, were filled with the expectations that they one day might grow as old as I am today … I had the dubious honor of being the oldest Marine to serve in Iraq at age 61, and yet, somehow I survived, and I was so lucky.”
The Laguna Beach honor guard participated in the ceremony and retired the colors at its conclusion. There were also large American flags displayed prominently along the coastal side of Cliff Drive, where many of the veterans attending the event arrived by car.
“Honor, courage, valor, respect, perseverance are all words that come to mind when I hear the word ‘veteran,’” Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett said prior to presenting a certificate of recognition to the local VFW post. “They are steadfast in their resolve to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies and stand for something far greater than themselves.
“They are proud Americans who are dedicated to the principles which made our country free. Throughout our history, veterans have fought and died to ensure our freedom and protect our way of life. We can never repay the debt of gratitude to those who are with us today and those who have fallen.”
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