September 11, 2001 was a wake up call for all Americans. It was on this day where four coordinated terrorist attacks organized by the Islamic terrorist group, al-Qaeda, flew four planes into the World Trade Center, Pentagon and the fourth which landed in a field in Shanksville, PA that was on target to Washington D.C. Thousands of civilians and service officials lost their lives and twelve years later on Wednesday September 11, 2013, ceremonies across the United States are taking place to remember the fallen.
One ceremony, on board the USS Iowa, welcomed a small number of Los Angeles County residents, who paid tribute to them. Watch now, to see and experience how Los Angeles remembered on this iconic day.
Josh Breslow, a two and a half year Army Veteran from Blair, Nebraska says he aspires to be a music producer for Strange Music in Kansas City, Missouri. Breslow says, his experience in the Army has made him appreciate life and it’s a decision, he says, would never change.
Breslow speaks about his life in the Army and how it changed his life.
Starting in 2005, the Reserve Enlisted Training Corp (RETC) allows children from ages 10 to 18 to learn the army regiments without fear of peer pressure in school. The after school program enforces skills such as marching and drills in a fun environment. Lt. Col. Jack Thomas works with these young children and says he’s amazed at how interested the children are when they come into the program, especially the young girls. In the following video Lt. Col. Thomas and the children explain the best part of the RETC program and what they are preparing to do in the future.
On November 10, 2012, thousands of Los Angeles residents came out the the Port of Los Angeles in recognition and celebration of Veterans. The celebration, put on by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and over one hundred and fifty veteran groups in Los Angeles County, included free hot dogs, chips, popcorn and shaved ice as well as a collaboration of music groups for all to enjoy and free tours of the USS Iowa Battleship, that was brought to Los Angeles’ port at the beginning of the summer.
Villaraigosa said, “the celebration was the first, but it certainly will not be the last.”
On Thursday, June 14, 2012 in honor of Flag Day this year and as part of a long standing tradition, the City of San Clemente, in collaboration with the 2/4 Association and the Heritage of San Clemente, hosted the, first of its kind, parade and memorial for the latest troop of the Second Batalion Fourth Marines that have returned home. The troops came back earlier in March after a seven month deployment in Afghanistan. Some of the Marines coming back have served more than one tour.
Heroes come in all forms.As we previously reported, a true hero doesn’t have to go to war to have battle scars.And all heroes, likewise, should be celebrated.
On Memorial Day, celebrations and ceremonies are held around the country as patriots celebrate America’s accomplishments.
In Los Angeles, a ceremony entitled “Honor A Life”, officially began the Memorial Day Festivities, which concluded with Ice Cream Bars and Water as residents were allowed to view the monuments at the Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Image taken by Julie White of Maki in current work uniform.
“Most of the time when things were going on, I was in a different place!” Nathan Maki says with a slight smirk on his face, referring to events like to 1994 Earthquake in Northridge, Calif. He says, when this “tragic” event happened, he was stationed in San Diego, Calif.
Now 54 years old, Maki is a retired Petty Officer of the First Class United States Navy as Hull Maintenance Technician One (HT1). For over 20 years, he been working for Universal Studios Hollywood as a Park Attendant, but he is forever a Navy man. His naval specialty was in Nondestructive Testing and Quality Control in Division RQ (Repair Quality).
Figure 1 Image from "Shift Colors", the emblem represents a newsletter sent to retired Navy Men and Women.
He currently lives in Van Nuys, Calif. with his wife, Linda of 16 years and has a total of 11 stepchildren, 33 grandchildren and two great grandchildren, but he says, he has traveled to many different places throughout his naval career.
These places include…
Guam,
Japan,
South Korea,
Taiwan,
Hong Kong,
Singapore,
Sidney, Australia,
Bali,
The Philippines,
And Bahrain (located in the Persian Gulf).
With each new destination, all he has to say is, “Each (place) is interesting in its own respect.”
Image from Sonofthesouth shows a poster from around the year 1917 of “Uncle Sam pointing his finger at you (the audience) and saying ‘I want You in the Navy and I want you Now’. The poster, was placed in areas where young men would see it and be inspired to report to the recruiting station.
Maki says his naval career began at the age of 18. He walked into the recruiters office, mainly due to lack of jobs elsewhere, and said, “I wanna join the Navy. From there, he went to Boot Camp in San Diego and then trained at a school in San Diego, Calif. as well as San Francisco, Calif. that specialized in Hull Maintenance. He was than stationed on his first ship in 1976 in Japan.
He now holds several achievements that come with being a Navy Vet.
They include…
Humanitarian Service at Sea
National Defense
3 Battle E’s (Efficiency)
4 Good Conducts
Navy Achievement Medal
Navy Unit Commodations to the Ship
And finally because of his 12 years of good conduct with no bad marks, Maki can officially wear gold.
After serving for 20 years in the U.S Navy, he says he “still supports the president,” even if he doesn’t always agree with the political decisions. He says, with a smirk, “The Congressmen are the least likely crooks.” Given what he’s experienced, he says he’s not much into politics and religion.
