thedrifter
11-15-03, 08:09 AM
Korean War vets, Bob Hope honored on Mount Soledad
By Luis Monteagudo Jr.
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
November 12, 2003
Pete Houben knows that the Korean War is sometimes called the forgotten war.
But 50 years later, the former Army platoon leader can still remember the scarred landscapes on which battles were fought and the winters so harsh that morphine for the wounded froze.
So yesterday, Houben was grateful to be a part of a tribute to the people who fought in that war at a Veterans Day service at the Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial in La Jolla.
"I'm so glad that they memorialized it and have these types of events," Houben said.
The Mount Soledad Memorial Association organizes a Veterans Day event each year at the site and thought it appropriate to pay special tribute to veterans of that war this year, the 50th anniversary of the armistice that ended combat in Korea. The memorial was originally erected to honor veterans of the Korean War and later expanded to include veterans of other wars.
Several hundred people who attended the services heard Houben speak about his vivid memories of the war. He acknowledged that some people questioned whether the war was worth it.
Now 72 and living in Tierrasanta, Houben, a retired colonel and the San Diego County Veteran of the Year in 2000, said he went to South Korea last year with his wife, Louise, and got his answer when he saw the modern city of Seoul and met smiling people who kissed him and thanked him for fighting for their country.
"Was our intervention worth it?" he asked. "In my heart, I totally think so."
Yesterday's event also featured a tribute to Bob Hope, who died in July and was honored for his years of service performing for U.S. troops.
San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos, a friend of Hope, presented a plaque to two of the entertainer's children, daughter Linda and son Kelly. The plaque notes that Hope was named an honorary veteran and is inscribed with the title of his famous theme song, "Thanks for the Memories." It will be installed on the curved walls of the memorial, which hold plaques for 1,500 veterans.
Spanos said the plaque was for "all the things he did for our nation and the cause of freedom throughout the entire world." Linda Hope said the family was touched by the plaque.
The threats facing today's servicemen and women weighed on the minds of speakers at the event.
San Diego Padres broadcaster Jerry Coleman, who flew combat missions in World War II and Korea, said "we're in the middle of a mess in Iraq and Afghanistan."
But, he said, the troops there "need our support and expect our support."
Meanwhile, San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy presented a proclamation honoring the Mount Soledad memorial and made a brief reference to the legal controversy that began in 1989 when a self-described atheist filed a federal lawsuit challenging the cross on the land.
In April, the city lost a bid to argue the case before the U.S. Supreme Court, which let stand an earlier decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the city's sale of land under the cross to the Mount Soledad Memorial Association violated the state constitution's prohibition against government financing of religion. The ownership of the land remains contested pending a settlement or, failing that, further legal action.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Luis Monteagudo: (619) 542-4589; luis.monteagudo@uniontrib.com
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20031112-9999_2m12soledad.html
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
By Luis Monteagudo Jr.
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
November 12, 2003
Pete Houben knows that the Korean War is sometimes called the forgotten war.
But 50 years later, the former Army platoon leader can still remember the scarred landscapes on which battles were fought and the winters so harsh that morphine for the wounded froze.
So yesterday, Houben was grateful to be a part of a tribute to the people who fought in that war at a Veterans Day service at the Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial in La Jolla.
"I'm so glad that they memorialized it and have these types of events," Houben said.
The Mount Soledad Memorial Association organizes a Veterans Day event each year at the site and thought it appropriate to pay special tribute to veterans of that war this year, the 50th anniversary of the armistice that ended combat in Korea. The memorial was originally erected to honor veterans of the Korean War and later expanded to include veterans of other wars.
Several hundred people who attended the services heard Houben speak about his vivid memories of the war. He acknowledged that some people questioned whether the war was worth it.
Now 72 and living in Tierrasanta, Houben, a retired colonel and the San Diego County Veteran of the Year in 2000, said he went to South Korea last year with his wife, Louise, and got his answer when he saw the modern city of Seoul and met smiling people who kissed him and thanked him for fighting for their country.
"Was our intervention worth it?" he asked. "In my heart, I totally think so."
Yesterday's event also featured a tribute to Bob Hope, who died in July and was honored for his years of service performing for U.S. troops.
San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos, a friend of Hope, presented a plaque to two of the entertainer's children, daughter Linda and son Kelly. The plaque notes that Hope was named an honorary veteran and is inscribed with the title of his famous theme song, "Thanks for the Memories." It will be installed on the curved walls of the memorial, which hold plaques for 1,500 veterans.
Spanos said the plaque was for "all the things he did for our nation and the cause of freedom throughout the entire world." Linda Hope said the family was touched by the plaque.
The threats facing today's servicemen and women weighed on the minds of speakers at the event.
San Diego Padres broadcaster Jerry Coleman, who flew combat missions in World War II and Korea, said "we're in the middle of a mess in Iraq and Afghanistan."
But, he said, the troops there "need our support and expect our support."
Meanwhile, San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy presented a proclamation honoring the Mount Soledad memorial and made a brief reference to the legal controversy that began in 1989 when a self-described atheist filed a federal lawsuit challenging the cross on the land.
In April, the city lost a bid to argue the case before the U.S. Supreme Court, which let stand an earlier decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the city's sale of land under the cross to the Mount Soledad Memorial Association violated the state constitution's prohibition against government financing of religion. The ownership of the land remains contested pending a settlement or, failing that, further legal action.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Luis Monteagudo: (619) 542-4589; luis.monteagudo@uniontrib.com
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20031112-9999_2m12soledad.html
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: