The first annual Veteran’s Day celebration at Malibu City Hall was well-attended, with veterans of several wars present, some clad in their old uniforms.
A U.S. Marine Honor Guard raised the flag and several songs were sung to begin the ceremony.
Serving as emcee of the event was retired Navy Captain John T. Payne, who spent more than 37 years in the Navy, 10 of them on active duty. In his speech, Payne pointed out that there are approximately 8 million World War II veterans, 4 million Korean war veterans and 8 million Vietnam veterans, plus 600,000 Gulf War veterans still living.
Congressman Brad Sherman spoke eloquently, and was one of several speakers mentioning the Presidential election snafu, saying, “We must be as patient as our forbearers.”
Malibu City Councilman and local lawyer Jeff Jennings, a winner of the Bronze Star in Vietnam, spoke on patriotic issues, and also touched on the election hang-up, saying, “You’ll note that there were no tanks in the streets, no sandbags around City Hall,” contrasting the behavior of American voters with those in some other countries.
In his speech, Andrew K. Benton, the recently installed president of Pepperdine University, recalled the Norman Rockwell painting that hangs in his office which depicts a common man working up his nerve to speak before a public group.
“I really admire the courage and conviction of people who are willing to back up their thoughts with their actions,” he said.
Several veterans spoke before the crowd of about 100, one of the oldest being Russ Philbrick, 78, who wore a cap proclaiming him to be a former crewman on the U.S.S. Lexington, a famous carrier. After his carrier service, Philbrick was later involved in the invasions of Attu and Tarawa.
Another WWII veteran attending was Jack Wood, 75, president of the Navy League, which has 160 members in the Malibu area. He served on the submarine U.S.S. Devilfish during WWII, going on four war patrols.
“We’re hoping to make this an annual event,” said Wood.
A third WWII veteran was Frank Blenkhorn , a retired Coast Guard Captain who saw action in the South Pacific, having been in on the invasion of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He spent a total of 23 years in the Navy, four years active and the rest reserve.
Vietnam veterans were more plentiful at the event, among them Tom Bates of Malibu Realty, who was in the 18th Armored Cavalry in Vietnam. He was actually a National Guardsman who was called up when they activated Guard units, and said when he thinks of WWII, he thinks of his father’s service on a battleship.
Gary Rickards, 53, wore his Army uniform and beret, the latter a sign of his former service in the Special Forces. He was based in Na Trang but served all over Vietnam.
Rickards belongs to the Vietnam Vets of America, but said he thinks it might be hard to attract Vietnam vets to gatherings in Malibu “because few people my age can afford to live here.”
Rickards is a welder and an artist in metal and belongs to the Malibu Art Association.
Dr. Ken House wore part of his service uniform — a naval jacket. Now with the USC School of Medicine, House was with the U.S. Public Health Service during the Vietnam war.
“I hope there’s more interest in veterans gatherings after this,” he said. “It was the clamoring over the lack of an event on Veteran’s Day in the last three years that led to this one.”
Some of the people attending weren’t veterans but had relatives who were. Doug Robbins brought his 3-year-old son, Dylan, and another boy, age 6, who is in the cub scouts and said his uncle was a POW in Korea who managed to escape. A cub scout troop participated in the event, bringing with them a bulletin board with stars on it, each star containing the name of a veteran they know.
One of the most touching stories by a veteran was told by Leon Johnson. He spoke of being wounded in Vietnam while serving on a helicopter crew.
Johnson said, “We should remember the sacrifices of women veterans, because after I was wounded and flown to a tent field hospital, I remember a woman nurse going around putting flak jackets onto the wounded men even though rounds were still incoming.”
The Pepperdine Jazz Band provided music for the occasion.