Public invited to Veterans Day events
Advertiser Staff
A 50-unit marching parade in Wahiawa; the state's annual ceremony at the Hawai'i State Veterans Cemetery in Kane'ohe; and a sunset ceremony aboard the USS Missouri Memorial — the last two capping a three-year commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Korean War — are on tap tomorrow to mark Veterans Day in Honolulu.
The day — established in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson as Armistice Day, made a federal holiday in 1938 and changed to Veterans Day in 1954 — honors all men and women who have served in the U.S. armed services.
All events are open to the public:
• WAHIAWA PARADE: Lt. Gen. James L. Campbell, commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific, will be the featured speaker at tomorrow's 57th annual Wahiawa Lions Club Veterans Day Parade. More than 50 marching units — about 1,000 marchers, 20 vehicles and six bands — are expected to take part in the event, which begins at 10 a.m. from Ka'ala Elementary School, 130 California Ave., and ends with speeches and program at Fred Wright Park. The program will also include a flag-raising ceremony led by Leilehua High School Junior ROTC, a massing of the colors ceremony and displays of military equipment. Information: Harry Kwon, 621-6654.
• STATE VETERANS CEMETERY: A flyover by Hawai'i Army National Guard helicopters and a parade of state flags will highlight the annual Governor's Annual Veterans Day Ceremony, scheduled from 1 p.m. tomorrow at the Hawai'i State Veterans Cemetery in Kane'ohe. Gov. Linda Lingle is scheduled to speak and lay a wreath at the cemetery's Memorial Plaza Monument with Adm. Thomas B. Fargo, commander of U.S. Pacific Command. Also scheduled: music by Army and Army National Guard bands, an 'oli (Hawaiian chant) and presentation of memorial lei by Hawai'i veterans organizations, and a 21-gun rifle salute. The events mark the end of the state's commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Korean War. Information: www.dod.state.hi.us/korean50.
• USS MISSOURI MEMORIAL: Also marking the end of the three-year nationwide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Korean War, the USS Missouri Memorial Association, caretakers of the "Mighty Mo" battleship, will hold a Veterans Day Sunset Ceremony to honor American veterans — in particular, those from that conflict. The event is scheduled from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m. tomorrow on the fantail of the ship, moored at Ford Island. (Free trolley service onto Ford Island, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, is available, 3:45 to 4:45 p.m. from the memorial's trolley boarding station, near the USS Arizona Memorial Visitors Center. Private automotive access onto Ford Island is restricted to those with appropriate credentials.) Among guest speakers will be Lt. Gen. Wallace C. Gregson, commander of Marine Forces Pacific. Keynote speaker will be Louis Baldovi, Korean War veteran and author of "A Foxhole View: Personal Accounts of Hawai'i's Korean War Veterans." Also planned: patriotic band music and choir performance, a color guard and military salute. Information: 423-2263 or www.ussmissouri.org.
