With the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation (PCVF) will present its first live, in-person celebration since November 2019. The event is a community-wide observance of Independence Day, noon-1 p.m. July 4 outside on the grounds of the historic Santa Barbara Cemetery.
“We are thrilled to be able to resume our mission of acknowledging the service and sacrifice of our veterans — the guardians of our nation’s independence,” said PCVF co-founder Lt. John Blankenship (USN ret.) “What better way to do this than to gather with our friends, families and neighbors on the Fourth of July?
“Our goal is to respectfully observe and celebrate this year’s very special Independence Day. It signifies the birth of our nation and return to a sense of normalcy now that California is open for business.
“We look forward to welcoming you and our many supporters to this patriotic event at one of the most peaceful and beautiful outdoor settings in the city of Santa Barbara.”
The event will include a performance by Gold Coast Pipe Band; an honor guard from Vandenberg Air Force Base; and “America the Beautiful” performed by David Gonzales, a retired Santa Barbara Police sargent.
Blankenship will give the opening remarks followed by the keynote address featuring Navy Capt. Charlie Plumb, USNR, (ret.). Plumb is an F-4 Phantom jet fighter pilot, six-year prisoner of war, Vietnam veteran and motivation expert.
Special guest speaker will be Col. Robert A. Long, the new commander of Space Launch Delta 30 at United States Space Force.
The event will conclude with a flyover in the skies above the venue presented by the Condor Squadron based in Van Nuys, California. The organization’s mission is to “To Honor Military Aviation through Flight, Exhibition, and Remembrance.”
Founded in 1965 by a group of World War II fighter pilots, the Condor Squadron is preserving a piece of aviation history that played a key part in securing the nation’s freedoms. They fly WWII, North American AT-6 airplanes in formation over events commemorating veterans.
PCVF thanks July 4 event sponsors: the City of Santa Barbara, Deborah Hearst, Wood-Claeyssens Foundation, Noozhawk, Santa Barbara News-Press, and Voice Magazine.
PCVF events underscore the mission of the organization, which is, in the words of founder Pierre Claeyssens, “To be killed in war is not the worst that can happen. To be lost is not the worst that can happen … to be forgotten is the worst.”
For more information, visit pcvf.org or call 805-259-4394. To get involved or donate to ensure local veterans are thanked, honored and supported all year long, email media@pcvf.org.