Veterans Day

Laura Sturza MEDIA DISTRICT NORTH -- All are welcome to attend Burbank's yearly Veterans Day ceremony Monday at McCambridge Park featuring music, tributes and celebration. This year's theme is America United, and the ceremony will include a flyover by the Condor Squadron and a performance by the United States Air Force Band, Galaxy, from Travis Air Force Base. The free event will recognize veterans of all wars, and remember those in hospitals as well as the men and women currently serving at home and abroad, said Mickey DePalo, an event organizer.

An elementary school will be sending more than 700 letters containing drawings, holiday greetings and thanks. Students at Thomas Jefferson Elementary are going straight to the source to prepare for Veterans Day on Friday. Instead of learning in class what it is like to be a soldier, students are writing letters to soldiers in the field -- asking them questions and sending their thanks. "This is a great hands-on way to introduce children to these issues," Jefferson librarian Sue Rife said.

The Burbank Community Band will present a free concert at 7 p.m. Feb. 16 in the Burbank High School Auditorium, 902 N. Third St. This is the first public concert by the band in more than 10 years, outside of the annual Veterans' Day, Memorial Day and Flag Day performances. The program will include standard concert numbers - overtures, marches and familiar tunes including a “Salute to Bob Hope” with songs such as “Buttons and Bows,” “Moonlight Becomes You” and, of course, “Thanks for the Memories.” A free-will offering will be solicited to cover renting the auditorium.

V ietnam War veteran Mickey DePalo continues to serve his country — and his city — as chairman of the Burbank Veterans Commemorative Committee. DePalo works with about 14 other members to organize programs for Memorial Day, Veterans Day and other programs that salute Burbank residents who have served and are still serving their country. "I think the committee's purpose is that we want to honor all veterans and honor and remember all the soldiers and Marines who have died in service to our country," he said.

It is especially important in these days of war to remember and offer our respect to veterans who served in our nation's battles. Honoring them, particularly those who made the ultimate sacrifice, is one constant we can hope to agree on in a country again divided by a war. As Abraham Lincoln said in his address at Gettysburg, we can't say anything or bestow any honor that would match the sacrifice that our nation's service men and women have...

Hundreds of people, including congressional and state legislative representatives, attended a Veterans Day ceremony Wednesday at McCambridge Park. A flyover by the Condor Squadron gave way to the presentation of colors by the Los Angeles Air Force Base Honor Guard. Women waved hand-held American flags, and men sang along with Sarah Zohrehvand to the national anthem. Later, parents crowded around the eternal flame as kindergartners from St. Robert Bellarmine Elementary School donned Uncle Sam-style garb and sang “God Bless the USA.” “Just to know that they’re aware and respectful of the service to this country, to see what this community is doing for the veterans — that means something,” said Scott Osborne, an Air Force veteran of Operation Desert Storm.

Our veterans know sacrifice well. They gave it at Bunker Hill, on that fateful day in 1775 when a powerful British Army attacked. They lived it on the plains of Gettysburg. They offered it on the shores of Normandy, in Korea and in Vietnam. And long after the American Revolution, they still are offering their lives in the name of the values that built a great nation. On Sunday, we pause to reflect on the sacrifices of this nation’s veterans, and to thank and honor them for what they’ve given so that most of us don’t live the nightmare they surely faced.

Molly Shore A surprise is in store for those who attend the city's Veterans Day ceremony, where Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) will make a special presentation to a World War II veteran. Joining Schiff, who declined to identify the recipient until the ceremony at 11 a.m. Monday, are Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Mission Hills), state Sen. Jack Scott (D-Burbank), Assemblyman Dario Frommer (D-Burbank) and Mayor David Laurell with other City Council members. Because of redistricting, Sherman will represent about half of Burbank starting in January.

Laura Sturza SOUTH SAN FERNANDO DISTRICT -- World War II veteran Dusty Worthen and Vietnam veteran Marc Cutter will be honored todayat a dinner sponsored by the Burbank Sunrise Kiwanis Club. The yearly event salutes extraordinary veterans who live in Burbank and have been of service to the local community since their return from active duty. It is always held the night before Veterans Day, which was called Armistice Day prior to the end of World War II. "World War II ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, and that was originally Armistice Day because we thought the world would be at peace forever.

Darleene Barrientos With thousands of American soldiers serving in Iraq, hundreds of veterans were honored Tuesday for their service to their country. Several dignitaries, including Gov. Gray Davis, Rep. Hilda Solis (D-El Monte) and Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich were present to give homage to the thousands of soldiers and veterans who fought for America's freedoms during the 44th annual Veterans Day Celebration at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills.

The Burbank Community Band will present a free concert at 7 p.m. Feb. 16 in the Burbank High School Auditorium, 902 N. Third St. This is the first public concert by the band in more than 10 years, outside of the annual Veterans' Day, Memorial Day and Flag Day performances. The program will include standard concert numbers - overtures, marches and familiar tunes including a “Salute to Bob Hope” with songs such as “Buttons and Bows,” “Moonlight Becomes You” and, of course, “Thanks for the Memories.” A free-will offering will be solicited to cover renting the auditorium.

Good morning, readers. Today is Monday, November 12. Thousands lined up along a stretch of Laurel Canyon Boulevard Sunday to cheer on the annual San Fernando Valley Veterans Day Parade , reports the Daily News . Los Angeles authorities say that a man in his 70s was killed after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver as he walked on Lankershim Boulevard near Roscoe Boulevard in North Hollywood Sunday morning. Patch Officials at Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne announced that nearly 100 employees were laid off Wednesday, with the majority of the layoffs occurring at the company's Canoga Park facilities . Daily News Hudson Pacific Properties announced that it has purchased a 60 percent share of Burbank's Pinnacle office complex , a $342 million property that houses tenants such as Warner Bros.

Good morning, readers. Today is Sunday, November 11. Pierce College will continue an event today to raise money for the school's Equestrian Science program. It costs about $26,000 a year to care for the horses in the program , reports the Daily News .  The November election may be over, but the Los Angeles Board of Education race is just taking shape. The results of the March election could spark a lot of change in the system , reports the L.A. Times . What's going on today?

V ietnam War veteran Mickey DePalo continues to serve his country — and his city — as chairman of the Burbank Veterans Commemorative Committee. DePalo works with about 14 other members to organize programs for Memorial Day, Veterans Day and other programs that salute Burbank residents who have served and are still serving their country. "I think the committee's purpose is that we want to honor all veterans and honor and remember all the soldiers and Marines who have died in service to our country," he said.

Hundreds of people, including congressional and state legislative representatives, attended a Veterans Day ceremony Wednesday at McCambridge Park. A flyover by the Condor Squadron gave way to the presentation of colors by the Los Angeles Air Force Base Honor Guard. Women waved hand-held American flags, and men sang along with Sarah Zohrehvand to the national anthem. Later, parents crowded around the eternal flame as kindergartners from St. Robert Bellarmine Elementary School donned Uncle Sam-style garb and sang “God Bless the USA.” “Just to know that they’re aware and respectful of the service to this country, to see what this community is doing for the veterans — that means something,” said Scott Osborne, an Air Force veteran of Operation Desert Storm.

About 75 community members and war veterans fanned out across Bob Hope Airport, searching for loose debris that pose a safety threat to aircraft. Dressed in black T-shirts, volunteers and airport staff walked one mile shoulder-to-shoulder in horizontal lines. Airport officials invited a dozen war veterans from the three Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority member cities to lead walkers down the runway. Bob Hope’s Federal Security Director Brian Cahill, who recently returned from Baghdad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, along with Bob Gilliland, who flew the first test flight of Lockheed’s SR-71 Blackbird Dec. 22, 1964, and served in the U.S. Air Force in the Korean War, led the group.

NORTH SAN FERNANDO — Among the hundreds of people spread out across McCambrige Park War Memorial for the city’s annual Veterans Day ceremony — a colorful morning dedication complete with a flyover, flag salute and benediction — perhaps none were happier than little Liam McKenna. Six months ago at the city’s Memorial Day ceremony, the third-grader at St. Finbar School sat long faced while his father, Paul McKenna Jr., supported convoys taking everything from food and water, to ammunition and mail on some of Iraq’s most dangerous roads.

BURBANK — Interwoven tales of heroism, loss and respect unfolded Monday as Burbank honored its veterans during a ceremony in McCambridge Park. “People tend to forget what a veteran is,” said Ralph Walker, a Marine who served in the Vietnam War. “One in four homeless people in Downtown [Los Angeles] are veterans, and we forget about them. Today, we try to let them know they are not forgotten.” The ceremony included a flyover of restored World War II aircraft flown by a group called the Condor Squadron, speeches by elected officials and the swapping of tales from veterans who crowded the park on a day many had off from work and school.

Our veterans know sacrifice well. They gave it at Bunker Hill, on that fateful day in 1775 when a powerful British Army attacked. They lived it on the plains of Gettysburg. They offered it on the shores of Normandy, in Korea and in Vietnam. And long after the American Revolution, they still are offering their lives in the name of the values that built a great nation. On Sunday, we pause to reflect on the sacrifices of this nation’s veterans, and to thank and honor them for what they’ve given so that most of us don’t live the nightmare they surely faced.

It is especially important in these days of war to remember and offer our respect to veterans who served in our nation's battles. Honoring them, particularly those who made the ultimate sacrifice, is one constant we can hope to agree on in a country again divided by a war. As Abraham Lincoln said in his address at Gettysburg, we can't say anything or bestow any honor that would match the sacrifice that our nation's service men and women have...