Military Service Members and Family Honored on Veterans Day

Monrovia's first Korean War memorial was unveiled Friday at the city's annual Veterans Day commemoration in , where local servicemen and women gathered with residents and city officials to salute those who have served their country in the U.S. military.

Sponsored by the Allied Veterans Council of the Upper San Gabriel Valley, the event drew a robust crowd near the city's Armed Services Memorial. Hugo Caballero, a technology sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, gave the keynote address.

"We are here to honor our brave men and women who have proudly served this great nation, for they are the fabric from which our flag has been woven," Caballero said. "Today we honor the courage of the men and women who have served and have continued to serve in our military, including those ongoing efforts securing our nation in the continuing fight against terrorism."

Mayor Mary Ann Lutz also spoke at the ceremony, as did Arcadia Mayor Gary Kovacic. Lutz said the timing of the event was apt because two fallen soldiers from the San Gabriel Valley had recently been buried at Monrovia's .

"We honor their service and we comfort their families and it makes this day that much more important," Lutz said.

The speakers made a concerted effort to salute the contributions of military families, at one point surprising Joyce Smith, a local mother of a serviceman and Blue Star Families group member, by calling her onto the stage.

"Behind my stripes is a family," Caballero said. "Behind the stripes of enlisted corps is a family, behind the brass of our officers...stands a family who supports us. Without the support of that family and this nation, America would not be what it is today.

The ceremony was capped off by a tribute to the veterans of the Korean War and the unveiling of the city's Korean War Memorial plaque, the first tribute to veterans of that war in the city's Armed Services Memorial.

"Korean War: 1950-1953. In honor of the men and women who served our country," the plaque reads.

Mitchsuo Kunihero, 93, a World War II veteran who served in the 442nd Infantry unit--a segregated unit--also took the podium and showed off the Congressional Gold Medal he was awarded last week.

Councilwoman Becky Shevlin, whose son Mark Horn is an Army medic currently stationed at Ft. Carson in Colorado, said she was impressed with the turnout at the service. She said the ceremony was "wonderful."

"We just need to remember," she said. "We can never forget."

Correction: A previous version of this story identified Kunihero as a Korean War veteran. He was a World War II veteran. Patch regrets the error.