Pasadena Salutes Veterans

AT-6 planes will fly in formation over Pasadena City Hall. – Courtesy photo / Greg Goebel (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Pasadena community is invited to join civic leaders, special guests, military veterans and active members of the U.S. armed forces for a Veterans Day commemoration Sunday, Nov. 11, beginning at 10:30 a.m. in front of Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave.

Former Pasadena Mayor William E. Thomson, chair of the Veterans Day steering committee and a U.S. Army veteran, will serve as master of ceremonies.

With the theme “Pasadena Salutes Our Veterans,” the event will include patriotic music and a color guard from a local high school.

The National Anthem will be sung by Monet Bagneris, a singer, songwriter and musician whose grandfather, Marion Meredith Beal, was the first African-American to serve at the U.S. Marine Corps national headquarters in Washington, D.C., during the second world war and an original member of the Montford Point Marine Association, an organization of African-American U.S. Marines. Bagneris is the founder of the nonprofit organization Monet Cares and a former Miss Los Angeles County.

Cmdr. Corey A. Poorman, commanding officer of the USS Pasadena, a U.S. Navy submarine, will be the keynote speaker. The USS Pasadena was commissioned in February 1989 and has conducted operations in every part of the Pacific Ocean, including the west coasts of North America and South America, as well as Australia and the Persian Gulf. It supports various missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Poorman assumed command of the USS Pasadena in October 2017 after having served as an officer on submarines since 2001.

At 11:11 a.m., the event will conclude with the Condor Squadron, World War II-era AT-6 planes, flying in formation over Pasadena City Hall. After the ceremony, Pasadena firefighters will provide free refreshments, including their famous hot dogs cooked on their custom-designed grill.

“I encourage everyone to come to City Hall and acknowledge veterans who represent multiple generations that served our nation at home and abroad,” said Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek, who served six years in the U.S. Army National Guard and Reserves.

Sponsors of the event include the City of Pasadena, Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 446, American Legion Post 13, U.S. Navy League Pasadena Council, Tuskegee Airmen Inc. and the office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.

For more information call (626) 744-6967.

More from Community