A Veterans Day celebration was held on the Santa Monica Pier drawing large crowds.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT
The armistice to end WWI was signed outside Paris at 6 a.m. in the railway carriage of Allied Commander Ferdinand Foch, and the cease-fire took effect five hours later: at “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.”
On November 11, 2024, at 11 a.m. a Veterans Day event was held at the Santa Monica Pier to honor the men and women who are currently serving in the military and to celebrate those who have served.
The event, which was hosted in collaboration by the Santa Monica Pier, the City of Santa Monica, Post 283 and the U.S. Army had something for everyone, who had gathered for the ceremony. There was a military flyover with Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters from the U.S. Army Reserve and a flyover by the Conor Squadron.
Miss USO Heidi-Marie Ferren sang the National Anthem and God Bless America, accompanied by the 300th Army Band.
Santa Monica Mayor Phil Brock welcomed nearly a thousand people who had come to celebrate the day under pleasant temperatures and a sunny sky. “On behalf of my family I appreciate all of you [veterans]. One day is not enough to celebrate all you do. Thank you for serving our great nation.”
SM City Councilmember Gleam Davis said being a mother to a veteran made her a firsthand witness to “the pride that veterans have taken in answering the call to duty” as well as the sacrifices that “come with this calling.”
Four-star General Andrew Poppas was the key-note speaker.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT
Four-star General Andrew Poppas gave the keynote speech. He said he visits this area a lot, because his brother, a filmmaker lives here. He became the 24th commander of United States Army Forces Command, Fort Liberty, N.C. July 2022, overseeing more than 710,000 soldiers and 13,000 civilians.
“On Veteran Day it is an opportunity to say thank you. And to say thank you to those that take the call,” he said. “U.S. is not a fighting nation: we are a nation of fighters.”
Poppas said that selfless sacrifice of the U.S. Military has become a beacon around the world. “Families are drawn here because of peace and security,” he said. “People see the U.S. as a land of opportunity.”
He explained that “we do not sell war,” but we have the “will to compete and win against all that oppose us.”
Those in the service understand “the commitment, the discipline and the teamwork needed,” Poppas said. “They understand the courage, the sacrifice and the resilience it takes to embrace the mission – even though there are no guarantees.”
Former NFL great Andrew Whitworth spoke about his former roommate, Lee Deal, who he said was his hero.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT
Former NFL All-Pro and Super Bowl Champion Andrew Whitworth spoke. “It is an unbelievable honor to recognize Veterans today.”
He told the audience that “I had an opportunity to win a Super Bowl, and I’ve seen a lot of cool guys do a lot of cool things. They had great success, but they were never my heroes.”
Instead, he said his hero was his roommate at LSU – Lee Deal. His best friend was killed in action in Iraq in 2006, the year Whitworth was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals while serving in the Navy. Deal comes to Whitworth’s mind every time the Star-Spangled Banner plays.
“There wasn’t a single National Anthem that I didn’t stand there with tears in my eyes, realizing that I got to play a kid’s game for my life’s calling because of the sacrifices that he made to give me the opportunity to be safe, to enjoy and to chase my dream, and I will forever see Lee Hamilton Deal as my ultimate hero for that.
The West Point Golden Knight Drill team performed in front of the roller coaster on the Pier.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT
Afterwards, Past 283 Post Commander Jim Cragg told CTN the event “kicked off an American Legion – wide campaign focused on the need to improve public perception of military and veterans from stigmatized to normalized.”
Cragg, a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel said, “It’s a two-pronged approach: one effort is through media and entertainment advocacy to educate and improve the way military and veterans are portrayed on screen.
“The other is to encourage American Legionnaires across the country to visit schools to show that they are successful citizens and dispel the myth that all veterans are “broken” emotionally,” Craig said. “Both efforts will hopefully alter society’s view of veterans from stigmatized to normalized.”
Cragg told CTN that “When I gave a Veterans Day talk at Corpus Christi [November 8], one-third of the kids raised their hands saying they didn’t know a veteran.
“That’s scary because that means a huge portion of American knows us only by what they see on the screen. Realizing that we live in a time societal dichotomies, we need to communicate and educate so American can learn who veterans really are. And when 80% of Americans say the word they associate with “veteran” is “PTSD,” then we have a lot to discuss.”
Celebrants were treated to a flyover.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT
Great report, thank you.
WONDERFUL!! Those children who said they do not know a veteran need only to attend any function at the American Legion Post 283. The American Legion is involved with veterans, community and country. I thank our military, past and present.