Coachella Valley Hosts Special Vets Day Event
There are quite a few Veterans Day activities coming up in the Coachella Valley in the next several days . . . and the one at the Coachella Valley Cemetery is certainly one of the most worthwhile tributes.
The East Valley Ceremonial Committee has invited area VIPs to attend an annual event which this year acknowledges the achievements of several visionaries who volunteered their creative talents and hard work to create the East Valley Memorials Foundation, which in turn funded the creation of the East Valley Veterans Memorial and Ceremonial Areas.
This special memorial to those who have served and those who currently are serving is certainly deserving of the public’s attention. Included in the Memorial are the Ultimate Sacrifice Wall, which honors those veterans who gave their lives in service to this country, and two Walls of Honor, for other veterans who honorably served.
Featured will be a Welcome by Steve Waggoner, Commander of the American Legion Herman Granados Post 739, Indio, an invocation by Indio Police Department Chaplain Wayne Hoy, and the Posting of Colors by the Coachella Valley Airborne Association.
One of the premier highlights of the event will be the Coachella Valley Visual and Performing Arts Academy, under the direction of Rob Rienhagen. Popular College of the Desert professor Ashley McDermott will speak on the Meaning of Veterans Day, and Fourth District Supervisor Roy Wilson will present a proclamation to the East Valley Memorials Foundation members, including Joe Zelazny, a retired Lieutenant Colonel whose experiences during World War II’s Battle of the Bulge are beyond fascinating.
Rod Douglas Cribbes will play “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes.
This will truly be an event to be remembered. And, after all, the whole purpose of both the event and the Memorial itself is that “They shall not be forgotten.”
The ceremonies begin at 10:30 at the Coachella Valley Cemetery, corner of Avenue 52 and Jackson Street. Tuesday, Nov. 11, of course. The public is cordially invited to attend this very special event.