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Stanford University and the city of Palo Alto held their fifth annual joint Veterans Day event celebrating local service members. Speakers and attendees stressed the importance of honoring veterans directly, as many who served in historic wars grow older.
The Monday event opened with a presentation from the city’s police and fire joint Honor Guard and the Stanford Mendicants a cappella group. It was hosted at the historic MacArthur Park Restaurant and Bar, which was built near the end of World War I and served as a “Hostess House” for troops and visitors at Camp Fremont in Menlo Park. According to an account of the building’s history, it was relocated to Palo Alto after the war as a community center for residents and to “honor the soldiers who gave their lives.”
These opportunities to respect local veterans are especially important in the Bay Area as time goes on, according to Ray Powell, president of the American Legion Palo Alto Post 375. Powell served in the U.S. Air Force for about 35 years and joined the American Legion post to stay connected to the local veteran community.
As time has gone on, the cost of living has gone up and military bases in the Bay Area have closed, and Powell said the number of veterans in the area and residents’ general knowledge of the military have been decreasing. These dwindling connections make it even more important to recognize and honor local veterans who are “still here.”
“The biggest reason that I love being a part of this is because it reminds our community that veterans are among them, and that we are their neighbors, and that we’re normal people,” Powell said. “Someone has to keep representing them here, in the local community.”
Michelle Landrey Cline, Stanford University’s vice president for Alumni Affairs and president of the Alumni Association, gave the welcome remarks on behalf of the university. She highlighted some of the connections veterans have in the community, such as through the Palo Alto VA Health Care System, which serves more than 67,000 veterans across Northern California and Nevada.
She spoke about some of her personal experiences with people who served or were serving in the military, and emphasized how they “inspire us through their dedication, their leadership and their commitment to a cause greater than themselves.”
Palo Alto Vice Mayor Greer Stone recognized the site’s connection to the region’s veterans in his speech, and offered his gratitude on behalf of the city at large.
“They remind us that patriotism is not solely about waving the flag or singing the national anthem; it is about those values those symbols represent. It is about the sacrifice, duty, courage and commitment to one another,” Stone said.
During the event, the South Bay Blue Star Moms group presented Sgt. Joe Tucker Sr. with a Quilt of Valor. Tucker served in the Vietnam War from 1969 to 1970, and was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge and Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service under fire. Donna Zolezzi and Denise Dobrenz, president and first vice president of the South Bay Blue Star Moms, wrapped the quilt around Tucker’s shoulders when presenting it to him and thanking him for his service.
Lt. Col. Tyler J. Jensen delivered the event’s keynote speech, emphasizing many instances throughout history when people — some veterans, some civilians — acted to protect each other. He spoke of the 1982 Air Florida Flight 90 crash, in which an airplane carrying 79 crew members and passengers departed from Washington, D.C., during a snowstorm and crashed into a bridge, leaving the wreckage sinking in the Potomac River.
Jensen spoke of Donald Usher, who flew a helicopter through the blizzard to help airlift survivors out of the frozen river, and Arland D. Williams Jr., who was trapped in the water with his fellow passengers but passed the helicopter’s lifeline to those around him. He spoke of Roger Olian and Lenny Skutnik, both commuters on the bridge who braved the icy waters to try to rescue survivors. Through their efforts, five people survived the crash.
He said he focused on the idea of “selfless service” because serving one another is one of the nation’s founding principles. Jensen, who is a Hoover Institution National Security Affairs Fellow, said he was honored to deliver the speech and that this was an important opportunity to respect and remember veterans on the Peninsula.
“I see that the reason America is really different in a lot of ways is because it’s based upon an idea,” Jensen said. “I think there’s nothing more American to that idea than serving your fellow neighbor.”
