Veterans day service to be held at Faces of Freedom Memorial
–The Veterans Day Ceremony in Atascadero will be held at the Faces of Freedom Veterans Memorial on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m., located at the corner of Hwy 41/ Morro Road and Portola Avenue, adjacent to Atascadero Lake Park.
The Master of Ceremonies will be Dick Mason, a long-established radio personality in SLO County. The invocation and benediction will be performed by Atascadero Fire Department Chaplain Ray Johnson and the guest speaker will be former Army Warrant Officer Bruce Bevans, who served as a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War with extensive combat flying during the 1968 Tet Offensive.
The Estrella Warbirds will conduct a “flyover” with the “Missing Man Formation” and the Atascadero High School Choir, led by Choir Director Emy Bruzzo, will be performing numerous patriotic and nostalgic songs. The Gold Coast Quilt Guild will be gifting hand-made quilts to select veterans as part of the “Quilts of Valor” program, which nationally, has provided over 100,000 hand-made quilts to veterans.
A wreath will be laid by the family of Richard Klema, a WWII prisoner of war, followed by the bugle call “Taps” played by SLO County Clerk-Recorder Tommy Gong and his son Derek. The Atascadero Kiwanis will provide a BBQ after the ceremony, weather permitting. It is recommended that the public arrive between 10 and 10:30 to ensure convenient parking.
Admission is free and the public is encouraged to attend and participate in honoring all veterans, past and present.
