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MAYOR NETZLEY SNUBS DANA POINT MEMORIAL DAY
SERVICES
DANA POINT-The first Memorial Day services held in Dana Point
came off without a hitch, and other than the fact that the Mayor
of Dana Point snubbed the event, the services were poignant and
moving. Despite weather forecasts that predicted a rainy and
drizzly day, the day couldn't have been more bright or beautiful,
and the site of the proposed memorial provided a panoramic view
of the Dana Point Harbor, and the deep blue Pacific Ocean. The
ceremony was sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9934,
and the Headlands Reserve, LLC, which owns the property which
they hope will be used for a permanent Veterans' Memorial in Dana
Point.
Community Development, on the other hand, did everything it could
to prevent the informal Memorial Day ceremony from taking place.
They called out the Fish and Game Department when weed wackers
were brought in to make a clearing, and they initiated a dispute
about whether or not a permit would be needed for the erection
of a flagpole. Initially, Dana Point city planners insisted that
the event would be illegal, and their strategies for intimidating
the owners appeared to be patterned as if they derived from a
master plan. Despite the efforts of Community Development to
prevent Dana Point's citizens from commemorating American veterans
on Memorial Day, the event took place, and two of the city's five
councilmen attended the ceremony, along with a representative
of the local state senator, as did Marc Ely-Chaitlin, the originator
of the proposal to establish a Veterans' Memorial in Dana Point.
The flag that flew over the event was flown over the U.S. Capitol
building in Washington, D.C., and had been provided by U.S. Congressman
Ron Packard. The Master of Ceremonies was Dana Point resident
William Manes, chairman of the Orange County Veterans Advisory
Council, and adjutant of the VFW Post 9934. The event also had
the help of Cub Scout Pack 713, and Boy Scout Troop 760, whose
flags made the event particularly ceremonial. The presence of
these young people represented the continuity that Memorial Day
services are all about, who were introduced to the memory of men
and women who lived and performed their acts of national service
long before they were born.
The scenic beauty of the site was awe-inspiring, as about 100
people gathered to honor the memory of American veterans for the
first time in Dana Point. After an introduction from Mr. Manes,
Mr. Ossenmacher and Mr. Kaufman, the two city councilmen who were
present, made statements, followed by a few auspicious comments
from the events key sponsor, Mr. Sanford Edwards of Headlands
Reserve, LLC. Following these comments Felix de Weldon, the famous
sculpture who created the Washington, D.C. memorial depicting
the raising of the United States flag at Iwo Jima in 1945, was
introduced to the audience, followed by Mitch Higginbotham of
the Tuskegee Airmen, and Colonel William Barber, USMC, Retired,
the keynote speaker.
Following these presentations in which the men tenderly recounted
their experiences in the service of our country, the VFW Post
9934 Commander, H. Fred Bauer, performed the VFW ceremony of reciting
the General Order issued May 5th, 1868, which authorized
the first Memorial Day. This was followed by a prayer which was
delivered by the Chaplain, Robert Moore, as the crowd bowed their
heads. In some respects, everyone present felt this prayer endow
the site with a hallowed quality, especially as the mournful Echo
Taps sounded out over the bluff. Regardless of whatever anyone
had on their minds at that moment, the sound of Taps poignantly
forced everyone present to focus on the fact that they were gathered
together solely for the purpose of remembering men and women who
had died in the service of our country.
Taps was played with great skill and beauty by Daniel Chapman
and Justin Menzies, of the Dana Hills High School Band. Mr. Manes
then closed the ceremony and cordially invited the attendees to
a reception across the street at the Chart House Restaurant.
Additionally, the event was put on in special remembrance of Spt.
Jeffrey A. Hawk, U.S. Army, from Capistrano Beach, who was killed
in action November 9th, 1967, in Vietnam.
At the entrance to the event a couple of individuals were handing
out leaflets opposed to locating the Veterans' Memorial on the
Headlands site; but rather than being opposed to the Memorial
altogether, the individuals passed out flyers in support of an
alternative site for the Memorial. The attendees disregarded
the flyers, and some of them expressed their distaste over the
tactlessness of handing out flyers after such a moving service.
The only thing missing from a perfect day was the presence of
the Mayor of Dana Point, whose absence was attributed to the belief
that she does not support the establishment of a Veterans' Memorial
in Dana Point.
From the vantage point of the restaurant, looking west towards
the site of the proposed Memorial, the American flag flying over
that majestic scenery gave one an overpowering sense of awe.
The very experience of standing over Stillwater Bay with the nation's
colors fluttering in the wind, is a life-changing moment of definition.
The hush that enveloped the crowd during the prayer formed a
bond between all the people present on the bluff, indelibly inscribing
at that most significant site in Dana Point, their common commitment
to keep the memory alive of our fallen countrymen. Hopes were
high that the effort to win the support of the Dana Point City
Council for the placement of a Veterans' Memorial on the Headlands,
will succeed. |
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