thedrifter
11-15-07, 03:12 PM
Fontanans honor veterans during ceremony
By BOB OTTO
http://images.townnews.com/fontanaheraldnews.com/content/articles/2007/11/15/news/01newsveteransday.jpg
David Crickon has never served in the Armed Forces. But he never allows himself to forget the sacrifices made by those who have served and those who are now serving -- for the freedoms he enjoys.
"No," he said when asked if he had served in the Armed Forces. "I'm here to pay tribute to our veterans and to my uncles who did serve."
Crickon, along with about 200 veterans, their families and those paying tribute, attended the Veterans Day ceremony at Veterans Park in Fontana last Sunday.
Crickon's great uncle, a Marine, paid the ultimate sacrifice when he saved the lives of fellow Marines during World War II. "A German threw a hand grenade into my great uncle's bunker," said Crickon, 49. "He took off his steel helmet and put it over the grenade. It blew him to bits, but he saved 20 Marines."
Service to country, pride and honor, and sacrifice were the themes spoken in reverence by a host of speakers about the men and women who have served and continue to serve -- and those who have fallen in combat, never to return to their loved ones.
"This brings back a lot of memories," said Bill Tunney, 84, a WW II veteran and Army combat engineer. "I come here feeling good, but leave feeling down. Some I served with never came back."
At the podium, Fontana City Councilmember John Roberts reminded everyone that 619,000 Americans have died in uniform in the past century. "It's beyond our capability to grasp what they gave," said Roberts during his welcome address.
During the ceremony, the Kaiser High School Band played the National Anthem and the school's U.S. Army Jr. ROTC posted colors and performed the Folding of The Flag ceremony. And in back of the proceedings, bursts of rifle fire by the Kaiser Jr. ROTC 21-gun salute team broke the somber silence.
And across the stage, in front of seated, elderly veterans, 21-year-old Daniel Wibert, an Army specialist and combat medic, strode to the podium to be recognized when his name was announced.
In the background, his brother David Wibert, 24, applauded. "It shows his responsibility to join the Army at such a young age," said David of his brother. "This (ceremony) shows the respect Fontana has for its veterans. People need to respect our soldiers."
Congressman Joe Baca agreed. Those that served made the biggest sacrifice. They left their loved ones behind, not knowing if they would return, said Baca, a Vietnam veteran himself. "We must never forget them. We have the responsibility to see that they get the benefits they are entitled to. America owes it to you."
Seventeen-year-old Adriana Ponce stood tall at the podium as she read her award-winning essay, which placed first in the Dr. Charles Koehler Memorial Essay Contest. She spoke eloquently of service and sacrifice, and paid honor to America's veterans.
"The opportunities we have today we wouldn't be able to have without the sacrifice of our brave men and women," Ponce said. (The winning essays are reprinted on Page 6.)
As Robert Pate read "The Freedom Poem," some heads nodded in agreement, some stayed bowed.
"...I thought of the graves in the bottom of the sea. I thought of all the graves in Arlington Cemetery ... Freedom isn't free."
(In the photo above, Marshall Hansen, right, saluted the flag. Photo by Bob Otto.)
Ellie
By BOB OTTO
http://images.townnews.com/fontanaheraldnews.com/content/articles/2007/11/15/news/01newsveteransday.jpg
David Crickon has never served in the Armed Forces. But he never allows himself to forget the sacrifices made by those who have served and those who are now serving -- for the freedoms he enjoys.
"No," he said when asked if he had served in the Armed Forces. "I'm here to pay tribute to our veterans and to my uncles who did serve."
Crickon, along with about 200 veterans, their families and those paying tribute, attended the Veterans Day ceremony at Veterans Park in Fontana last Sunday.
Crickon's great uncle, a Marine, paid the ultimate sacrifice when he saved the lives of fellow Marines during World War II. "A German threw a hand grenade into my great uncle's bunker," said Crickon, 49. "He took off his steel helmet and put it over the grenade. It blew him to bits, but he saved 20 Marines."
Service to country, pride and honor, and sacrifice were the themes spoken in reverence by a host of speakers about the men and women who have served and continue to serve -- and those who have fallen in combat, never to return to their loved ones.
"This brings back a lot of memories," said Bill Tunney, 84, a WW II veteran and Army combat engineer. "I come here feeling good, but leave feeling down. Some I served with never came back."
At the podium, Fontana City Councilmember John Roberts reminded everyone that 619,000 Americans have died in uniform in the past century. "It's beyond our capability to grasp what they gave," said Roberts during his welcome address.
During the ceremony, the Kaiser High School Band played the National Anthem and the school's U.S. Army Jr. ROTC posted colors and performed the Folding of The Flag ceremony. And in back of the proceedings, bursts of rifle fire by the Kaiser Jr. ROTC 21-gun salute team broke the somber silence.
And across the stage, in front of seated, elderly veterans, 21-year-old Daniel Wibert, an Army specialist and combat medic, strode to the podium to be recognized when his name was announced.
In the background, his brother David Wibert, 24, applauded. "It shows his responsibility to join the Army at such a young age," said David of his brother. "This (ceremony) shows the respect Fontana has for its veterans. People need to respect our soldiers."
Congressman Joe Baca agreed. Those that served made the biggest sacrifice. They left their loved ones behind, not knowing if they would return, said Baca, a Vietnam veteran himself. "We must never forget them. We have the responsibility to see that they get the benefits they are entitled to. America owes it to you."
Seventeen-year-old Adriana Ponce stood tall at the podium as she read her award-winning essay, which placed first in the Dr. Charles Koehler Memorial Essay Contest. She spoke eloquently of service and sacrifice, and paid honor to America's veterans.
"The opportunities we have today we wouldn't be able to have without the sacrifice of our brave men and women," Ponce said. (The winning essays are reprinted on Page 6.)
As Robert Pate read "The Freedom Poem," some heads nodded in agreement, some stayed bowed.
"...I thought of the graves in the bottom of the sea. I thought of all the graves in Arlington Cemetery ... Freedom isn't free."
(In the photo above, Marshall Hansen, right, saluted the flag. Photo by Bob Otto.)
Ellie