Compiled from news releases
The city of Santa Clarita invites members of the community to join the Santa Clarita City Council for the annual Veterans Day Ceremony to honor local veterans, currently serving military personnel and their families, at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 11, at Veterans Historical Plaza, located at 24275 N. Walnut St. in Newhall.
The ceremony will include an opportunity to hear from members of the City Council, Army veteran David Essex and a special reading by Steve Blumenfeld as a sign of respect for prisoners of war and those missing in action. There will also be a changing of the flags by the Knights of Columbus Santa Clarita Assembly, Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 355, and the Santa Clarita Valley Young Marines.
Other featured speakers include Father Vaughn Winters, Rabbi Choni Marozov and veteran Christopher Werthe, who will serve as the master of ceremonies. The event will also include patriotic performances of the national anthem, “Song of the Patriot” and “Bell Bottom Trousers” by members of The Messick Family.
The Veterans Day Ceremony is a collaboration between the city of Santa Clarita and American Legion, Post 507, American Legion Auxiliary, American Legion Riders, Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America, Blue Star Mothers of America, Santa Clarita Chapter No. 46, College of the Canyons Veterans Program, Disabled American Veterans, Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary, Knights of Columbus, Santa Clarita Assembly 2421, Prayer Angels for the Military, Santa Clarita Valley Veterans Memorial Inc., Santa Clarita Valley Veteran Services Collaborative, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, V.F.W. Post 6885, Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 355, and Young Marines.
Also during the ceremony, Vietnam veterans will be presented with commemorative dog tags in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Santa Clarita Mayor Laurene Weste and Chapter 335 of the Vietnam Veterans of America collaborated to create the dog tags, which were privately funded through donations.
Each commemorative dog tag is “inscribed with ‘Welcome Home’ to pay tribute to the men and women who served in Vietnam,” according to a news release about the dog tags.
For more information about the Veterans Day Ceremony, contact the city’s Arts and Events Office at 661-250-3787.
