A New Focus for Area Veterans Day Events

Patriotism in a time of war will be the focus of several Veterans Day celebrations scheduled this weekend throughout Ventura County.

From Simi Valley to Ventura, military veterans and other community members will gather to honor those who served in the military. But this year’s events will include tributes to two new groups: American troops in Afghanistan and those who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Oxnard resident Roger Nicholson, a Korean War veteran, will join hundreds of others Sunday in what is expected to be a large gathering at Plaza Park.

He said he will spend a quiet moment reflecting on the police and firefighters who died in the World Trade Center attacks. Nicholson will also be thinking about his grandson Chris Lowe, a corporal in the Marine Corps stationed on an attack carrier near the Persian Gulf.

“I’m proud of him but I am also scared for him, but he likes to be out in front of things,” Nicholson said. “We can’t let people run over us. There is no such thing as a good terrorist.”

Others involved with area events said the mood for observations Sunday and Monday will strike a somber tone in light of what has occurred over the past two months.

Before Sept. 11, the Plaza Park event had been planned as a tribute to World War II veterans and the upcoming Dec. 7 anniversary of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, said Steve Weber, the coordinator and emcee for the Oxnard ceremony.

The loss of life in September, and the subsequent declaration of war on terrorists, forced a change of plans.

“Most of the veterans I know are now sitting at home watching their sons and daughters go to war,” Weber said. “World War II was supposed to be the second war to end all wars and now here we are again.”

The Plaza Park event will begin at 11 a.m. and include a keynote speech by Navy Capt. James Cowell, commanding officer for the construction battalion at Naval Base Ventura County. Music will be provided by the Oxnard High School marching band. A free continental breakfast will be offered by the Kiwanis Club and Salvation Army from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m., and free American flags will be given to the first 500 participants.

Among other events scheduled:

* A free Veterans Day concert from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.

* A candlelight vigil honoring members of the armed forces from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday on the south lawn of the library at Moorpark College.

* A Veterans Day ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Ivy Lawn Cemetery in Ventura that will include a flyover by vintage aircraft from the Camarillo-based Confederate Air Force, Southern California Wing.