CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) – Carmichael’s Vietnam Memorial was last weekend central to community Veterans Day commemorations. In the first open service since the pandemic began, flags, music and memories were shared by almost 100 masked visitors. The ceremony was also livestreamed. 

The first-known California monument to the Vietnam War, the memorial is in the Koobs Nature Area on Engle Road. First dedicated in 1973, its steel edifice honors La Sierra High School graduates who died in the Vietnam War. While the school was shuttered in 1983, its auditorium is now a community center; classrooms are rented to the California Montessori Project. The five-acre preserve serves for nature education and is named for the late Earl Koobs, a La Sierra science teacher who fostered its establishment.

 Speakers this year included veteran Dave Mahoney (72), who recalled Vietnam years as a Navy cook. “If a vet wants to talk about his experiences,” he suggested, “Listen to him. It was a rough time back then. What he has to say might not be pretty, but things could be eating him up inside. He deserves to be heard.”

 In a departure from annual procedure, a La Sierra High graduate – and later school administrator -- Tony Asaro read the names of deceased La Sierra teachers and alumni who served the US in WW2, Korea, and Vietnam Wars. “Our Principal, Robert Johnson, served on a ship in WW II,” said Asaro. “He ran his school like a ship. He and other staff members put their lives on the line and came back to serve our community. Saying their names aloud is just one more way to make sure they’re not forgotten.”

 Ceremony attendees were invited to make dedications to veterans who died in the past year. Rock singer Todd Morgan performed “You’re a Grand Old Flag and Eagle Scout Edward Stach (Troop 386) offered a solo trumpet rendition of Taps.

 The heroes on the Vietnam Monument were named: Robert D. Anderson, Mark W. Burchard, Robert S. Bynes, Jerry Cowsert, Kenneth R. Escott, Gary R. Field, Herbert Frenzell, Frank Thornburg, Ralph Guarienti, Larry H. Morford, Thomas C. Pigg, Randall B. Rainville, Kim Richins, Jeffry Tharaldson, Robert A. Willis.

 Earl J. Koobs Nature Area is open to visitors. For information, go to www.carmichaelkiwanis.org  or visit the Koobs Nature Area site on Facebook.