SANTA MONICA — The city of Santa Monica will host a virtual live stream celebration of Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11, beginning at 11 a.m. The Los Angeles Army Recruitment Battalion has partnered with the city for the celebration, which commonly takes place at Palisades Park.
“For 21 years, the five pillars of the Veterans Memorial in Palisades Park honor each branch of our military, the Army, the Navy, the Marines, the Air Force, and the Coast Guards,” the city said in a news release. “The Santa Monica Veterans Memorial symbolizes peace and healing.”
Public attendance will not be permitted at the memorial this year “to protect community health in light of COVID-19 and essential physical distancing measures,” the city noted. The program will air on the city’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/cityofsantamonica/live.
The program’s features include the posting of the colors followed by the National Anthem — Santa Monica Councilmember Gleam Davis, as well as Lieutenant Colonel Garret Kaye, U.S. Army will also make their remarks.
Later in the day, the Pacific Wheel at the Santa Monica Pier will pay tribute to veterans with a “colorful red, white, and blue” light display on the wheel, along with a “special program features icons representing all 5 branches of the US Armed Forces. The 174,000 LED lights Ferris wheel can be seen from dusk (around 5 p.m.) until midnight.
The city of Santa Monica reminded that November 11 “is the day the US signed the armistice that ended our first World War.” Approximately 116,000 members of the United States Military died in World War I, according to the Congressional Research Service.
