Honors befitting U.S. veterans
Our community owes a debt of thanks to Don Hingst, originator of the Memorial Day tribute to our local veterans, and to Joe Puglia for carrying on the tradition. It was fitting that the committee decided to honor WWII vets this year. Sadly, we noted that their numbers have decreased since last year.
For many years our family — I and my wife, sons, their spouses and grandchildren — has attended the service to honor First Lt. M.C. Hill, USAAF, a World War II veteran who flew out of Roswell, NM, on B-17 and B-24 missions over the Pacific Ocean. We were surprised that he was on the podium and interviewed before the ceremony, but not recognized with his fellow veterans. Additionally, a WWII Army nurse was never introduced by name.
A more sensitive treatment to the veterans would have seated them front and center in view of the audience with the scouts coming from off stage to do their presentations instead of standing in front of the vets while waiting a turn at the podium.
La Cañadans will remember other WWII vets who were not mentioned at the event. Perhaps a concerted effort to identify and record our vets as they age and pass from our view would be a worthy project. I am sure that there are several, perhaps many, who have not been honored and listed in our archives.
Frances Hill
La Cañada
Stop waging war on gun owners
Seems that Assemblyman Portantino has too much time on his hands. Our State is $26B in the red and he introduces legislation to ban the open display of firearms – not bills to stimulate our economy, reducing our 13% unemployment rate or addressing the huge deficits. It doesn’t matter to him that those who carry openly are the law abiding citizens he wishes to turn into criminals with another of his foolish, feel-good, liberal anti-gun law. Hey, Port, why don’t you author a bill to ban backpacks, because that’s where that Tucson nut and Gardena thug carried their guns. Truth be told, you would be much safer among a group of open carries than a bunch of packing backpackers. Lunatics and thugs don’t care or obey gun laws — that’s why they are lunatics and thugs. You liberals cry alligator tears publicly for civility, yet your hatred for guns and law-abiding gun owners expose your true colors. If you want civility, then leave the gun owners alone and stop trying to impose your will on them. We taxpayers are paying for his vacation home in Sacramento and a luxury vacation car for this nonsense!! Why don’t you get to work and concentrate on fixing California — we don’t need another stupid gun law.
Bob Tanabe
La Cañada