City Events Honor American Veterans

For Veterans Day, San Marino residents showed they are just as committed to honoring those in uniform as they are to first responders with a plethora of events and commemorations.
Two events headlined the weekend: The Chinese American Military Support group hosted a two-day event to specially recognize Chinese-American veterans, and the city hosted an Active Military Banner Presentation at Lacy Park to recognize those currently enlisted.
Taking place in the San Marino Center on Saturday and Sunday, the Chinese-American veterans event brought in a number of local officials to thank veterans for their work, and also call on local veterans to tell stories of their deployments and training. Local resident John Fu, whose family military tradition includes his son and San Marino High School graduate Lawrence Fu, has organized such an event for years throughout the county, but this was the first time in San Marino.
The event included numerous informational displays and models giving history on several World War II theaters and units. Lawrence Fu, who was deployed to Iraq two times as a U.S. Marine, was among the speakers Saturday morning.
“The days that something did happen, it went from super relaxed to utter chaos in about a second,” he said. “You always had to be on your toes, but we weren’t stressed out 24/7. That’s what it was like for me. It might be different for other people.”
Warren Arnett, a South Pasadena High School graduate, was the keynote speaker Saturday and used his time to present a slideshow showcasing his time as a cargo pilot flying routes in India, Burma (present-day Myanmar) and China during World War II. Among his stories was an anecdote about reconnecting with a man he’d met from a liberated concentration camp in China, courtesy of the Japanese occupation.
“We still email each other every Christmas or so,” Arnett said.
Congresswoman Judy Chu was the keynote speaker in Lacy Park for the Active Military Banner Presentation, which recognized 26 active military personnel residing in San Marino. Mayor Dr. Richard Sun, who also spoke at the Chinese-American event, also thanked those previously and currently serving.
Other officials at each event included Assemblyman Ed Chau, Police Chief John Incontro, Fire Chief Mario Rueda, members of both the City Council and the San Marino Unified School District Board of Education and Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, herself a San Marino resident.
Students at the city’s elementary schools also had their patriotism on display last week. Both Carver and Valentine elementary schools hosted outdoor assemblies to pay respect to their parents and grandparents who had served or were currently serving in the armed forces. Several students at Valentine Elementary School wrote brief speeches to thank their veterans.