Last Saturday, “on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month,” Malibu’s 18th annual Veterans Day Public Ceremony was kicked off—this year, for the first time, inside City Hall’s Civic Theater.
City Councilmember Lou La Monte introduced the public ceremony, saying “We’re all here to honor, respect and thank all the veterans.”
The two-hour public program was fast-moving and entertaining, with more than 20 items on the agenda, including talks by five U.S. veterans who told their stories of how they “continue to serve” the country and other veterans even after no longer being on active duty. The talks were interspersed with patriotic songs by local singers and singing acts, and even a 1940s style pair of dance partners.
The first of the veterans to speak about how they “continue to serve” was Jim Stitt, Lt. Col. (retired) in the U.S. Army, from Morro Bay, now president and CEO of the Association of Amputee Surfers (AmpSurf).
“AmpSurf serves 14 communities, and provides surfing opportunities for amputees and others with disabilities,” he said. “Eighty percent of our members are vets, but we want to help the entire community with healing. It’s very cathartic for the volunteers, too. We’d love to do something in this area.” Stitt helped open up a number of new chapters, including two on the East Coast.
Navy Lt. Scott Wagenseller, a native of Pacific Palisades, has a long list of military awards and accomplishments and now specializes in law enforcement and security. Currently the founder of Gates Security, an investor in commercial real estate and the publisher of Palisades News, he gives back through involvement in American Legion posts, is a public speaker on veteran’s affairs and serves on the board of the Boy Scouts of America.
Lt. Col. Ed Reynolds, with 22 years in the Air Force, flew 147 combat missions as a navigator and has the distinction of being one of only 110 people in the world who has visited every country. “I was a vet that continued to serve other vets,” he said. Reynolds has been running the “Wings over Wendy’s” weekly meetings in West Hills since 2002 and invited all vets to attend. He’s also involved with the “Conversations with Heroes” program, which gives talks at schools.
Katie Nash then spoke—the senior attorney with HRL Labs was a former military JAG attorney who served in Kuwait and Iraq.
“I became part of a family that I fit into, and you’re always a member of that family,” she said. She continues to give back through involvement with “Talking with Heroes.”
Staff Sgt. Thomas Sells is a Vietnam Vet with frontline combat experience, earning him a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. After the service, he became a CPA. Suffering from severe PTSD for many years, in a time when no help was available, he now champions that cause.
“After Vietnam, I was expected to assimilate into society, which I didn’t,” he said. “Now, I help see that returning combat vets receive adequate counseling … The nightmare must be attended to.” To that end, Sells now serves on a cabinet level subcommittee in the Department of Veteran Affairs.
The ceremony was well attended by about 200 people. The first row was reserved for veterans, some in their original uniforms, including longtime Malibu residents Ron Merriman, a Korean War veteran who served in the Army artillery, and Tom Lubisich, a WWII veteran who served in the Army artillery in France, Belgium and Germany.
Master of Ceremonies USAF Sgt. Bob Donovan thanked and recognized a long list of people in attendance, including Ani Dermenjian, a local Realtor who put the program together; John Duffy, producer of the 2015 documentary “The Flag;” the Point Mugu color guard, and veteran Roscoe Frazier, who served 44 months in combat, winning five Bronze Stars, including three with a “V” for valor, and two Purple Hearts.
The program opened and ended with dance partners Julie Avila and Brian Butcher doing energetic swing-style dance numbers. Boy Scout Troop Pack 119 with leader Tom Vandergon participated, and Rev. Ed Milkovich of Malibu’s St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church gave an invocation.
Musical acts interspersed between talks included Alli Cunningham, MHS 7th grader; Bella Manera, MHS 10th grader, who played guitar and sang “Brothers in Arms” by Dire Straits; the Our Lady of Malibu children’s choir; the a capella “Pepperdine Pickups;” and singer Yolanda Tolentino.
The Malibu Veterans Day ceremony is hosted by the Malibu Chamber of Commerce, the City of Malibu, Pepperdine University and HRL Laboratories.
