thedrifter
11-10-06, 07:22 AM
Veterans Day celebrations to take place around the valley
By: NICOLE SACK - Staff Writer
MURRIETA ---- Charles Anderson of Murrieta doesn't like to tell the grizzly stories from his service in the Marines during World War II.
He doesn't like the tales of death, the burning hillsides and crushing military force. Anderson, 82, will tell you the thing he remembers most about his three-year tour in the South Pacific from 1943-46 was that he was always wet.
"There was a lot of trudging through mud and on New Britain Island, it seemed to rain all the time," he said. "We'd get to a stream and wash out our socks. They were still wet when we put them back on, but at least they weren't muddy."
Anderson, who was 18 when he enlisted, spent time on the front lines as a radio operator. His unit was one of the first to enter China after the end of the war. He would later be presented with five Bronze Stars.
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Veterans Day has remained the same, although the name has changed, since the armistice of World War I. While it was generally regarded then that Nov. 11, 1918 would be end of "the war to end all wars," history has proven the notion to be false.
The need to recognize and remember the servicemen and servicewomen who protected the people of the United States during the past nine decades remains the same. The tradition will continue Saturday, as Veterans Day celebrations will take place around Southwest Riverside county and the nation.
Anderson will act as Grand Marshall of the fourth annual Veterans Day Parade on Saturday in Murrieta. The event will start at 10 a.m., after a flyover by the War Birds of La Mesa aerial team.
Annette Jennings, recreation coordinator for Murrieta, said the fourth annual Veterans Day celebration will feature 55 parade entries. She said about 5,000 spectators will line the parade route on Washington Avenue from Kalmia to Ivy streets.
"This event has always been very well accepted in the community," Jennings said. "We're honoring our past present and future."
At the end of the parade, a Vietnam-era Huey helicopter will excute a low flyover for the crowd.
The parade is expected to last an hour and a half, with appearances from Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone, Murrieta mayor Kelly Seyarto and council members as well as other city staff.
"The whole city helps with this parade," Jennings said.
Parking is available at the Murrieta Community Center, the senior center and at the police department.
Other events are also planned in the area.
Temecula will conduct a dedication ceremony at the Duck Pond at 11 a.m. Saturday to unveil 260 new bricks in the Path of Honor. The Path of Honor contains more than 1,000 engraved bricks with the names and ranks of veterans who served in a range of wars.
Also, the Riverside National Cemetery will host its annual Veterans Day ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
In Murrieta, Anderson will be in a convertible car and wearing a new set of dress blues as he heads the Veterans Day Parade. He couldn't fit into his original uniform, but then a lot of things have changed since 1946.
Anderson will tell you that returning home from World War II was a lot different from the homecomings of current troops. There were no balloons, no pomp-and-circumstance, no one waiting at the dock.
"We arrived in San Diego. There was no band, no one waiting," he said. "I don't even remember how I got home. I asked my then wife if she knew I was coming home and she said, 'No, I didn't know until I saw you outside the house.'"
Even with the differences across the generations, he said there are some things that remain constant.
"It's important to remember what these guys went though," Anderson said. "They say war is hell, and it is."
-- Contact staff writer Nicole Sack at (951) 676-4315 Ext., 2616, or nsack@californian.com.
Ellie
By: NICOLE SACK - Staff Writer
MURRIETA ---- Charles Anderson of Murrieta doesn't like to tell the grizzly stories from his service in the Marines during World War II.
He doesn't like the tales of death, the burning hillsides and crushing military force. Anderson, 82, will tell you the thing he remembers most about his three-year tour in the South Pacific from 1943-46 was that he was always wet.
"There was a lot of trudging through mud and on New Britain Island, it seemed to rain all the time," he said. "We'd get to a stream and wash out our socks. They were still wet when we put them back on, but at least they weren't muddy."
Anderson, who was 18 when he enlisted, spent time on the front lines as a radio operator. His unit was one of the first to enter China after the end of the war. He would later be presented with five Bronze Stars.
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Veterans Day has remained the same, although the name has changed, since the armistice of World War I. While it was generally regarded then that Nov. 11, 1918 would be end of "the war to end all wars," history has proven the notion to be false.
The need to recognize and remember the servicemen and servicewomen who protected the people of the United States during the past nine decades remains the same. The tradition will continue Saturday, as Veterans Day celebrations will take place around Southwest Riverside county and the nation.
Anderson will act as Grand Marshall of the fourth annual Veterans Day Parade on Saturday in Murrieta. The event will start at 10 a.m., after a flyover by the War Birds of La Mesa aerial team.
Annette Jennings, recreation coordinator for Murrieta, said the fourth annual Veterans Day celebration will feature 55 parade entries. She said about 5,000 spectators will line the parade route on Washington Avenue from Kalmia to Ivy streets.
"This event has always been very well accepted in the community," Jennings said. "We're honoring our past present and future."
At the end of the parade, a Vietnam-era Huey helicopter will excute a low flyover for the crowd.
The parade is expected to last an hour and a half, with appearances from Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone, Murrieta mayor Kelly Seyarto and council members as well as other city staff.
"The whole city helps with this parade," Jennings said.
Parking is available at the Murrieta Community Center, the senior center and at the police department.
Other events are also planned in the area.
Temecula will conduct a dedication ceremony at the Duck Pond at 11 a.m. Saturday to unveil 260 new bricks in the Path of Honor. The Path of Honor contains more than 1,000 engraved bricks with the names and ranks of veterans who served in a range of wars.
Also, the Riverside National Cemetery will host its annual Veterans Day ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
In Murrieta, Anderson will be in a convertible car and wearing a new set of dress blues as he heads the Veterans Day Parade. He couldn't fit into his original uniform, but then a lot of things have changed since 1946.
Anderson will tell you that returning home from World War II was a lot different from the homecomings of current troops. There were no balloons, no pomp-and-circumstance, no one waiting at the dock.
"We arrived in San Diego. There was no band, no one waiting," he said. "I don't even remember how I got home. I asked my then wife if she knew I was coming home and she said, 'No, I didn't know until I saw you outside the house.'"
Even with the differences across the generations, he said there are some things that remain constant.
"It's important to remember what these guys went though," Anderson said. "They say war is hell, and it is."
-- Contact staff writer Nicole Sack at (951) 676-4315 Ext., 2616, or nsack@californian.com.
Ellie