Page 4 May 25, 2017 TORRANCE TRIBUNE TerriAnn in Torrance Memorial Day 2017 By TerriAnn Ferren Memorial Day 2012 marked the first formal remembrance ceremony where the City of Torrance, in cooperation with the Torrance Historical Society, publically honored the 146 souls on our Memorial Wall located on the corner of Torrance Boulevard and Maple Avenue. On that Memorial Day, veterans read all 146 names. The Veterans Memorial was dedicated on March 19, 2005 and the quote in black stone by General George S. Patton reads, “Let me not mourn for those who have died fighting but rather let me be glad that such heroes have lived.” Historically, Memorial Day began as Decoration Day. There is evidence that Southern women were decorating graves of soldiers slain before the end of the Civil War, but it was General John Logan, National Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, who started Memorial Day on May 5, 1868 when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first observance was on May 30, 1868. After WWI, the holiday changed from honoring only those who fought in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war. Unfortunately, with the passage of the National Holiday Act of 1971, the official date of Memorial Day was set for the last Monday in May to ensure a three-day weekend. Regrettably, time has passed and it seems to me the traditional observance of Memorial Day has been lost to some extent. For example, what do you have planned for Memorial Day? Because of this special day, I decided asking veterans what they think about Memorial Day was appropriate. The first veteran I asked, Thomas Trulove who served in Vietnam in the Army from 1972 to 1975, was taken aback when I first asked him what he thought about Memorial Day. His demeanor changed considerably and he became serious. “It is a time to honor and respect the military people who never made it to ‘veteran,’” he said. “I have contact with wounded veterans and you can feel their pain… It is an emotional thing to veterans who served so close to it. I was never in direct combat, but I was in close contact with people who were, and I witnessed their injuries from it--both physical and mental. Everyone who comes back from war has PTSD [Post Traumatic Stress Disorder] --everyone.” Next I asked Chief Master Sergeant, Air Force George Bradley Walker (Brad), who joined the Air Force out of high school and retired after 24 years of service and then went on to have a career at McDonnell Douglas/Boeing for 18 years, for his thoughts on Memorial Day. Brad served in Vietnam from 1967 to 1974 and has visited Arlington Cemetery (the previous rose garden of General Robert E. Lee) and the National Veterans cemeteries in Hawaii, California and Nevada, in addition to the Oklahoma City National Memorial. “It is impossible for me to visit them without getting emotional,” said Brad. He went on to say, “We often think of our millions of causalities as the cost of ‘freedom’ and we place American flags and banners on our houses and across streets for the parades. We go to parks for cookouts and beer, and we build monuments to the fallen. But in what way do we honor their sacrifices in our everyday lives?” Brad believes we need to think about why the men and women were sent into harm’s way and said, “I believe their sacrifice has ensured our freedom and way of life.” When I was little I remember my daddy, Tom Lancaster, telling me he served as a Corporal in the Army--and also about his two younger cousins--Bill Russell, who was an MP in Korea and was awarded a Purple Heart; and Jimmy Lancaster, who served in the Army Special Services, also in Korea. The three boys--my daddy, Tommy and his two cousins Jimmy and Bill were close and grew up together. My uncle Bill died last year and my uncle Jimmy, whom I never met, died of leukemia as a result of exposure to chemicals during his secret work in the Army Special Services in Korea in the 1950s. The other day I asked my daddy about his thoughts on Memorial Day and he said, “When Memorial Day comes around, I think about our military and those who didn’t come back, who are no longer with us, and those who did come back. I had a couple personal friends--my best buddy [Bud Wegnes]. He came back from Korea like I did. He didn’t have any wounds to speak of, but he was a buddy of mine and I’d think about him. He died suddenly about five years ago. And I think about my cousin Bill, who passed away just this year. He was an MP in Korea and a mortar wounded him. I think of my brother-in-law Frank Perez. He was always close to me all through school and when I was courting your mother. He [Frank] was wounded in Korea and has a Purple Heart also. Those are the people I think about-- friends and relatives that are no longer here. I thank the Lord that I am still around.” My daddy told me that he thinks most veterans will probably think like he does--about the many who gave their lives fighting for their country and about their families and how they must have felt and still feel with the loss of a son or daughter. Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic told me, “It brings up a lot of emotions and memories, and I always feel a great sense of relief when it is over with. It reminds me of the war I was in, of friends who died, who were killed, and reminds me of my own wounding in the war in particular. I don’t think people reflect upon the human cost of war on Memorial Day. They seem to see it as a celebration… The fact is, many people who went to the war that I fought in ended up dying and wounded needlessly. I respect all our veterans and honor all those who served this country. I don’t think I am the only veteran who feels this way.” In addition, Kovic told me the day doesn’t bother him as much as it once did, but he feels people tend to forget there are still millions of veterans alive who are affected deeply by war--both emotional and physical--and people should not forget the living as well, as they are still “struggling to come home.” Lieutenant Colonel Milton S. Herring, I, U.S.A. (retired), who also sits as a Torrance Councilman, gave me his thoughts on Memorial Day. “…It is a time to remember that America is the land of the free because of the brave men and women who paid the ultimate price for freedom,” he said. “As has been said, ‘All gave some and some gave all.’ It is a time to share with this generation that freedom is not free and that past generations made it possible for us to enjoy our liberties today.” Janet Payne, Debbie Hays and Jerry Ronan largely planned the first Memorial Day remembrance at the City of Torrance Veterans’ Memorial Wall at Memorial Plaza in 2012. I can still remember what WWII Navy veteran Jerry Ronan told me on that first solemn day: “These names should be read every Memorial Day and that’s what we’re doing today. We’re not having the usual kind of ceremony with the dignitaries. We have 146 dignitaries!” That sentiment remains true today. The Names on the Wall Remembrance will again commemorate our 146 Names on the Wall (which include soldiers from WWI to those in the Iraq and Afghan Wars) on May 29 at 2 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Wall at Memorial Plaza. The event is free and open to the public. For further information, call 310-328-5392 or access www.torrancehistoricalsociety.org. As WWII veteran Jerry Ronan said, “On Monday, we will be grateful for the gift of those who never came home. We will remember every day is Memorial Day. We will pray that we may never add another name to that cold, black wall.” Amen. • Councilman Milton S. Herring I. Young Corporal Thomas Charles Lancaster. Tommy and Teddy Lancaster. Chief Master Sergeant George Bradley Walker, USAF (retired). We Will Never Forget 29th MAY Herald Publications will be Closed on Monday, May 29. Enjoy the day with your family and friends. Vietnam Veteran Ron Kovic visiting the portable Vietnam Wall on Memorial Day in 2015 when it visited Green Hills.
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