Gilber Toyborough, wearing a grey T-shirt with a large eagle decorated in the front, arrived at a small park in Joshua’s Tree Town on Monday morning, thinking of a friend who died at the end of the 1975 Vietnam War.
Ibarra, a former Marine, said his unit was involved in the Mayaguez incident, where two companions left on an island near the Cambodian coast, likely killed by the Khmer Rouge.
“They were 19,” Ibarra said. “I’m here to remember my peers. That’s the part I have in my mind.”
Ibarra was about 75 people gathered on Monday for an hourly anniversary service at Joshua Tree Memorial Park, a small cemetery in the high desert town. Neighbors from the community near Yucca Valley, Debbie and Ron Wagoner sat next to him.
“We had a busy weekend and we thought we should reserve for this today,” Debbie said. “We don’t want to forget those who paid for our freedom.”
Anniversary events at Joshua Tree Memorial Park included the release of bagpipers, speakers, color guards and pigeons.
(Deborah Netburn/Los Angeles Times)
For many Americans, anniversary marks the beginning of summer, beach day and backyard barbecue. But in Southern California and across the country, including Los Angeles National Cemetery near UCLA, people came together to honor the men and women who died in service to the country.
Navy pastor and commander Russell Martin, who called out to Joshua Tree’s Anniversary event, said: “This day is not just one day on the calendar. It’s a sacred pause to remember those who died in service of the idea that freedom is worth defending.”
Located about 20 miles west of the Marine Corps Air Force Combat Center, many participants from the Joshua Tree Memorial Park event served on the military itself. Bob Hoyt, wearing a leather driver’s hat and yellow suspenders, was offered by the Navy from 1966 to 1970. He dispensed a patriotic refrigerator magnet he had made and wandered through a white folding chair.
“I promoted myself to the Captain and now I call Captain America,” he said. “The older I get, the more I love this country and I will try to promote that love.”
In the front row, Anne Leah, who served in Afghanistan for a year and recently appointed captain of the regional branch of Foreign War Veterans, sat with her friend Debbie Johnson, who was captain of the regional branch of the American Legion. Both organizations aim to help people in their homes, from helping them with whatever they need, to pay for an ambulance to transport former service members to hospitals.
“You are in the presence of some serious female power here,” Johnson said.
Featuring bagpipe music, color guards and laying wreaths, the service ended with the release of dozens of white doves from a basket of woven fabrics after about an hour.
The birds flew as a group, swirling around the shaded canopy and modest makeshift podiums, snapping violently in the wind with a half-mast American flag.
Korean and Vietnamese veterans will salute during the opening process at the annual anniversary ceremony at Los Angeles National Cemetery.
(Carlin Steel/Los Angeles Times)
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