Reflecting on those military lives lost.

By Mary O’KEEFE

Of all the days set aside to honor veterans, Memorial Day is the most somber and the most focused on the cost of service to the country.

“For veterans from [American Legion Post 288 and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1614] and many other veterans this is the one event of the year that we really concentrate on the veterans’ participation to honor those killed [in service],” said Mike Baldwin, adjutant of American Legion Post 288 and VFW Post 1614.

Veterans from Crescenta Valley’s local American Legion and VFW will be honoring Memorial Day virtually on Monday. They had hoped to hold an in-person event at Two Strike Park near the Veterans Memorial Wall but, according to Baldwin, they weren’t certain of the guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Los Angeles Public Health so they decided holding a virtual event was the safest option.

The veterans have put together a video presentation that is similar to their traditional live event, which includes a poem and the reading of the names on the Two Strike Park Veterans Memorial Wall. The remembrance ends with the traditional playing of Taps.

This year the video can be found at the Crescenta Valley Weekly website at https://bit.ly/3oTAVYO. CVW is hosting a re-direct to the YouTube video.

“Memorial Day is a day of remembrance,” added Lynn McGinnis, past post commander for American Legion Post 288. “Veterans Day and Armed Forces Day are times of celebration, but [for us] everyone who participates in the Memorial Day [event] is a veteran.”

McGinnis said when he went to his 10-year class reunion he discovered that 10 members of his class were lost during Vietnam. He has seen the toll battle has had on fellow veterans and the aftermath on families after they have lost a loved one.

For those who served in the military this is a day to remember what many do not like to talk about – the tragedy they have witnessed – but it is important to remember the lives sacrificed.

“When you are in a war zone, you don’t have a chance to grieve when you lose people,” Baldwin said. “That is the one thing I noticed when I came home. It took a while to talk about it. When you’re home, you don’t want to think about it.”

The City of Glendale is also holding a virtual ceremony to recognize Memorial Day. For over two decades the City has held a Memorial Day event, which has become a time-honored tradition.

“The ceremony pays tribute to the dedication and sacrifices the men and women of our nation’s Armed Forces have made. Every Memorial Day, the City of Glendale honors their service in defense of our freedom and their sacrifice for liberty throughout the world. This year, due to COVID-19, the ceremony will be virtual and released on Monday, May 31,” said Eliza Papazian, Glendale’s spokeswoman.

The event was organized by the City and the Glendale Veterans Coalition. This year the organizers reached out to the community for a photo of service members who lost their lives while serving. In addition to the photo, they asked for the name, military branch, rank and years of service. This will be included in the video presentation.

“At this point we have 12 to 15 submissions,” Papazian said.      

Although the deadline has passed for submissions, she said that if people want to include their loved ones they can still contact her at www.glendaleca.gov/memorialday.

The ceremony will include remarks made by former President Ronald Reagan on a previous Memorial Day. The event will conclude with remarks from Glendale Mayor Paula Devine.

“I have been involved with the City’s [Memorial Day event] for 20 years, and chaired for the last 15,” said veteran Don Biggs.

He has friends who are on the wall at Glendale’s Memorial at the city hall.

“We remember the sacrifice of those people who [served] their country,” he said.

Biggs added these lives lost should be remembered for what they did for the “rest of us” but also for the lives they could have lived if they had returned after their service and how they could have contributed to society.

“The ones that gave their life so I can live on,” he said.

He said he had the unique opportunity to look up the names that were on the memorial in Glendale, which was built in 1997. Biggs was in charge of researching any new names that were added.

“I was able to find out their stories. They are very interesting. All their names are significant,” he said. “They died during the wars and unfortunately we have had too many wars in this country.”

One of the names on the wall was a friend of Biggs who served, like him, during Vietnam. His name is Phillip MacCloud and his parents and Biggs’ parents were best friends. When word came that he died, Biggs was still in Vietnam. MacCloud was clearing mines in a field when he hit a mine.

“His family was close to us,” he said.

MacCloud’s brother served as a Glendale police officer.

Biggs circled back to the ripple effect of a life lost and what that life could have meant to the community, to the family and loved ones had the service person survived. He touched on how many former military service people continue to serve their communities after they leave their branch of service.

Biggs served his community of Glendale as a Glendale firefighter for 37 years.

“I really believe in that service and service obligation,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for all of those whose names [are on memorials] across the country. They are good people who could have benefited their country if they had come home.”

Papazian also invited local service organizations to donate wreaths that will be placed at the city hall memorial. Those wreaths can be placed on Memorial Day.

The City of Glendale will be sharing its Memorial Day ceremony on the City’s Twitter and Facebook accounts as well as on Glendale GTV live stream and on YouTube. The video will be available on Memorial Day at 11 a.m.