Memorial Day in Los Angeles: Brentwood, the Valley, South Bay and More

By STEVEN HERBERT
City News Service

Attempts to reduce homelessness among veterans will be the focus of Memorial Day observances planned for Brentwood Monday, while Mayor Eric Garcetti will participate in three events, including a parade in Canoga Park.

The fourth annual Walk for Warriors at the West Los Angeles VA Campus in Brentwood will begin at 8 a.m. The 5-kilometer walk raises funds for New Directions for Veterans, which provides services to hundreds of homeless veterans and those at risk of homelessness, including transitional and permanent housing, individual and group therapy, help in finding jobs and legal assistance.

Garcetti will begin his Memorial Day public appearances by speaking at the second annual Memorial Day Tribute Aboard the Battleship Iowa, which is docked in San Pedro.

He will be joined in speaking in remembrance of military men and women killed in the line of duty by Rep. Janice Hahn, D-San Pedro, and Councilman Joe Buscaino in the 8:30 a.m. ceremony.

Garcetti will then head for Boyle Heights where he will participate in the last shift of the 67th annual 24-hour Memorial Day Vigil at the war memorial in Cinco Puntos. At least one person will be standing guard throughout the vigil, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Sunday.

Garcetti will also be among the participants in the Canoga Park Memorial Day Parade, which begins at 11 a.m. at Owensmouth Avenue at Sherman Way, and continues along Sherman Way to Mason Avenue.

The theme of the 90-minute parade with more than 70 entries is "Saluting the Price of Freedom."

Organizers expect more than 5,000 people for the 29th annual Memorial Day Observance at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, billed as the Southland's largest annual Memorial Day observance.

The 90-minute program will begin at 10 a.m. The keynote speaker will be retired Army Sgt. Daniel Rodriguez, who received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his actions during the Battle of Kamdesh during the Afghanistan War, then struggled with psychological problems and alcohol abuse.

Rodriguez then remembered a promise made to a fallen comrade to follow their dreams when they returned to America. He quit drinking alcohol, got into shape and made the Clemson University football team as a walk-on special teams player and receiver, catching 10 passes for 30 yards and a touchdown over two seasons.

Rodriguez's memoir, "Rise: A Soldier, A Dream and a Promise Kept" is scheduled to be published in October, with a movie based on it set to be released in 2015.

The observance will also include fly-overs by vintage aircraft, skydivers, a parade of colors by members of the armed forces, veterans' groups, police officers and firefighters, musical performances by the country singer Matt Rogers, bagpipers and the Palos Verdes Symphonic Band and the release of 100 doves.

Several thousand people are expected at the Los Angeles National Cemetery in Westwood for its Memorial Day Observance Ceremony, which will be held from 10 a.m.-noon.

The speakers include 96-year-old former Army Lt. Yoshito Fujimoto who translated the World War II surrender document signed aboard the USS Missouri by Gen. Yoshijiro Umezu, chief of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff. Fujimoto was not allowed to be on the USS Missouri for the signing and has not been previously recognized by the U.S. military, according to organizers.

The Redondo Beach Memorial Day Service will begin at 1 p.m. at Veterans Park. Air Force Col. Donna Turner will deliver the keynote speech. A special presentation and donation to the Veterans Memorial will be made by Gilberto Hirata, the mayor of Redondo Beach's sister city, Ensenada, Mexico.

In his weekly radio address, President Barack Obama said, "I hope all Americans will take a moment this weekend to think of those who have died in service to our nation."

"Say a prayer in their memories and for their families," Obama said. "Lay a flower where they've come to rest. Reach out to service members, military families or veterans in your community or families who have lost loved ones and let them know that their service will never be forgotten."

What became Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868, as Decoration Day, a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the Civil War dead with flowers.

It was established 25 days earlier by Maj. Gen. John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of veterans who fought for the Union in the Civil War. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the nation.

By the end of the 19th century, Decoration Day ceremonies were being held on May 30 throughout the nation. After World War I, the holiday was changed to honor Americans who died fighting in all wars.

The term Memorial Day was first used in 1882, became more common after World War II and declared the official name by federal law in 1967.

Memorial Day had been observed on May 30, until being moved to the last Monday in May in 1971 under terms of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which became law in 1968.