Montrose Vietnam War Memorial 50th Anniversary

In the last few weeks, I’ve given my readers short bios on each of the local men whose names are on the memorial located on the corner of Ocean View Boulevard and Honolulu Avenue, in the heart of our beautiful Montrose. I hope it hasn’t been too sad. It has been incredibly hard for me to write these stories. My thoughts linger on those 24 men whose lives were cut short.

The men whose names are on our memorial were a cross-section of our community. They came from families of wealth, middle class and the working poor. They served in the four major branches of the military: Marines, Navy, Army and Air Force. Most were 21, but a few were older, reaching into their 30s. We tend to have a stereotype of soldiers in that war as having been poor and undereducated, yet we have several who already had their undergraduate degrees before their service began. Although we think of the soldiers of the Vietnam War as an army of draftees, the majority of the men on our memorial enlisted willingly. And many of them expressed in letters home strong support for the war.

We have some remarkable stories, such as the Marine who, in separate actions, won both the Silver Star and the Navy Cross, the third and second highest honors for bravery. We have one pilot who represents the MIAs (Missing in Action) whose crash site has never been found. And we have another who, after being missing for 50 years, was located, and his remains brought home just last year.

Although the stories of these men’s deaths are sad, what is uplifting is our community’s wish to keep their names and their memories alive. I hope you will come out to the Montrose Vietnam Memorial on Saturday June 16 at 3 p.m. to witness the 50th anniversary ceremony. Many community volunteers are involved, along with the Montrose Shopping Park Association, the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce, American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the local historical society. There will be some pageantry honoring the 24 men on the monument, a flag folding ceremony and a ceremony honoring those who are still Missing in Action. The Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley will be passing out a free book with expanded biographies of the 24 men, including photos. Be sure to enjoy a new planting around the monument in floral colors of red, white and blue.

In the same ceremony a plaque will be unveiled honoring Vito Cannella. His life was a classic American story, an Italian immigrant who was fiercely proud of his adopted country. He became a community leader, a Montrose icon and a central force in the enactment and yearly celebration of National Flag Week. Vito’s family will be there to honor his memory.

The Montrose Vietnam Memorial site plays a vital and central role in our community, not unlike a town square. Kids play there, old-timers enjoy summer evenings, students hold bake sales there, musicians play and pass the hat, and citizens perform an American tradition by expressing their political opinions. Many pass by the monument, gaze at the plaques there, and wonder. After attending this ceremony, those plaques and the names on them will mean much more to you. I hope to see you there.

And speaking of Montrose monuments, the Historical Society and the La Crescenta Library have just installed at that library a display on early Montrose. Several large format photos of early Montrose scenes are displayed, along with a panoramic view of Montrose in 1923. That large framed photo was displayed in the Montrose Pharmacy at Honolulu and Verdugo for 70 years until that building became Rocky Cola Café. But central to the display is a large silver cup that was donated by the grateful citizens of Montrose to its founding father Robert Walton. The beautiful cup is dated 1915 and had been lost since then. It was recently discovered and returned. This fascinating display is in the lobby of the La Crescenta Library, at Foothill and La Crescenta.

Here are two opportunities to experience the history of our valley.

  mike lawler