Communities across Santa Barbara County will commemorate Veterans Day with various ceremonies on Monday recognizing the sacrifice and service of current and former military members.
A ceremony at the Santa Barbara Cemetery, 901 Channel Drive, is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Monday with U.S. Army veteran Brooks Firestone delivering the keynote speech. Firestone also is a former county supervisor, former state assemblyman and local businessman.
Another speech is expected to be delivered by Army Lt. Col. Tim Downing, a professor of military science at UC Santa Barbara.
The ceremony, presented by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1649 and the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation, will conclude with a flyover by The Condor Squadron.
Other presentations and performances for the ceremony near the main flagpole include the UCSB Color Guard, the Gold Coast Pipe & Drum Band, David Gonzales and the Santa Barbara Choral Society, and The Prime Time Band.
In Santa Maria, the Freedom Monument Veterans Memorial at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center, 600 S. McClelland St., will serve as the site of a ceremony starting at 11 a.m. Monday.
This year, local veteran groups will be recognized with the dedication of a new plaque.
Speakers will include Col. Dorian Hatcher, Space Launch Delta 30 deputy commander at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino, Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce President Michael Boyer and Freedom Monument co-founders Bob Hatch, a highly decorated Vietnam War veteran, and Dave Cross, who served during the Cold War.
The Veterans Day ceremony, organized by the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce and the City of Santa Maria, will honor all veterans who have served and will pay special tribute to the 113 Santa Maria Valley veterans who died in conflicts from World War I through the latest wars on terrorism. They are listed on plaques and memorials throughout the Freedom Monument area.
Before the ceremony, a free breakfast will be provided by Kiwanis Club of Santa Maria from 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. at the youth center.
Also in Santa Maria, attorney Michael Clayton will host the annual Veterans Day barbecue and flag ceremony at the Veterans Memorial Community Center, 313 W. Tunnell St.
The ceremony is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. with barbecue meals available until 3 p.m.
Free meals will be available for all veterans, military members and their families. Others can dine for a donation of $5.
Other ceremonies set to start at 11 a.m. Monday include:
- Lompoc Veterans Memorial Building, 100 E. Locust Ave. Speakers will include Col. Michael Jewell, Space Launch Delta 30 deputy commander.
- Solvang Veterans Memorial Building, 1745 Mission Drive, where speakers will include Brig. Gen. Frank Kincaid, deputy commander for U.S. Space Forces — Space at Vandenberg.
- Orcutt’s Pine Grove Cemetery, near the intersection of Bradley and Stubblefield roads. Speakers will include Lt. Gen. Douglas Scheiss, U.S. Space Forces — Space and and U.S. Space Command’s Combined Joint Force Space Component commander.
Guadalupe reportedly won’t hold a Veterans Day ceremony this year, but the Girl Scouts plan to place small flags on veterans’ graves from 9 a.m. to noon Monday.
Veterans Day began as a reflection on the heroism of those who died in World War I, on the Nov. 11 anniversary of the 1918 armistice between the Allied nations and Germany — “the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.”
Other nations mark Nov. 11 as Armistice Day and Remembrance Day.
Saturday Event in Solvang
On Saturday, the fourth Santa Ynez Valley Salute to Vets will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Solvang Park, 1630 Mission Drive. Admission and parking will be free.
The event, organized by the Santa Barbara County Veterans Association, will include a display of military displays, a flyover, a pinup girl contest, music by Out of the Blue, games, food, beer, wine and more.
For more information, go to salutetothevets.org or sbcvf.org.
