The Long Lost Montrose War Memorial

Our valley, like many small communities across the nation, proudly commemorates the locals who have served in the armed forces. We have the big Heroes of Freedom wall up at Two Strike Park. It was first installed in 1959, but was recently expanded and updated by local citizens and chapters of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. We have the Vietnam War Memorial in Montrose, located by the flagpole on the northwest corner of Honolulu Avenue and Ocean View Boulevard. This edifice carries the distinction of being one of, if not the, very first Vietnam War memorial in the country, having been put up in 1967 when that conflict was still ramping up.

Over on the La Cañada side we have Memorial Park at Foothill and La Cañada boulevards. It commemorates locals who died in various conflicts. Their names are mounted on the bandstand.

A couple of smaller more specific memorials are scattered about. One honors the two Zwick brothers who died within a month of each other in WWII. It’s mounted in the courtyard of Zwick’s Plaza in the Montrose Shopping Park. The other commemorates the graduates of Clark Junior High who died in WWII. It is mounted at the entrance to Clark Magnet High School.

But there was a larger memorial in Montrose that is no longer around. It had been located on the east exterior wall of a pharmacy at Honolulu and Ocean View, which is now FroYo Life frozen yogurt. The memorial was specifically to honor the local men and women who had served in WWII. It was dedicated in the summer of 1944, 80 years ago. It’s no longer there and we don’t know when (or why) it was removed.

The honored names were displayed in four glass cases mounted on the wall, four feet high and 16 feet across. There were 1500 names of locals serving in the armed forces. Thirteen of the names had gold stars next to them, indicating they had died in the war. Four names were designated as missing in action. Above the name-cases was a large bas-relief eagle with banners on each side spelling out “Crescenta Valley Service Roll.” The unveiling of the memorial and the dedication ceremony in 1944 was beautifully facilitated by local residents.

Three local women, then serving in the Coast Guard, Navy and Marine Corps, in full uniform did the unveiling while color bearers from each branch of the service stood by at attention. Above the memorial on the rooftop was the American flag, guarded by local veterans at attention, with guns and fixed bayonets.

A full complement from the local American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the auxiliaries, along with the Civil Defense force also stood by at attention. The invocation was made by Father Healy from Holy Redeemer and Reverand Harris from St. Luke’s.

A local congressman and local assemblyman gave speeches and a Lt. Colonel from the Marine Corps also gave a talk. The Marine Corps officer finished with “Our boys are growing up fast, they will come home with different standards. They are men and will expect to live in a man’s world.” Taps was sounded and a volley of three shots rang out as the names were read aloud of the local men who had died in the conflict.

After that somber note the entertainment portion of the ceremony was emceed by film star Anita Louise (she competed with Vivian Leigh for the part of Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone With The Wind”). The talent was mostly local. Piano selections by a local boy in the Coast Guard, a talk by a pilot from the Flying Tigers and another local guy playing accordion. Local Kiwanis Club members sang “Here Comes America,” an original song penned by a Montrose songwriter. The event was wrapped up by the Crescenta Cañada Rotary Club singing “Auld Lang Syne.”

No trace of the monument exists today, not even a clear photo, and no stories of when it was removed. It remains another Montrose historical mystery.