Special to the PRESS
Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony
The Town of Laguna Vista is making plans for its upcoming Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony on Monday, May 30 at 5pm to pay our respects to the men and women that have given their lives in defense of our country.
Please join the Town Council of the Town of Laguna Vista as we remember and honor our heroes.
Parade: The “Always Honor, Never Forget” Parade will be starting at 5pm from the Laguna Vista Public Library on FM 510 towards the Veterans Park.
- Thirty-two (32) members of the “Warriors Unified In Arms” from Brownsville will be participating in the parade. This is a group of mostly Vietnam veterans. We will be needing golf carts, etc. to transport these Brownsville veterans and have them participate in our parade. We are asking the community to help us transport these veterans.
- We are encouraging all those that want to participate to decorate their golf carts, boats/trailers, and vehicles.
- We want to especially invite all veterans to participate in this parade.
- The “Warriors Unified In Arms” Color Guard will be participating in this Parade.
- The honorary guest and keynote speaker (and Brownsville resident) will be John (Johnny) A. Perez. He is a World War II veteran. Mr. Perez joined the U.S. Navy at the age of fifteen with his mother’s permission. After basic training in San Diego, CA, he boarded the USS Franklin which took him to Pearl Harbor. Upon arriving, he was sent to Waipio Peninsula for additional amphibious landing training. He then boarded a personnel ship (APA) to the Mariana Islands he was promoted to boatswain mate second class. According to his Navy records, he was 18 years old but in reality he was only 16 years, 7 months old. In February of 1945, he sailed to Iwo Jima where he saw the Franklin (Big Ben) again. In March of that same year, while aboard an APA, he witnessed the USS Franklin almost destroyed after being hit by piercing bombs dropped by Japanese dive bombers. While making an amphibious landing on Iwo Jima, the LCM (the landing craft mechanism) that he was operating was hit by enemy fire. He was injured and flown to a hospital in Roi-Namur in the Marshall Islands. He was awarded a Purple Heart while in the hospital. In December of 1945, after his hospital stay, he boarded the USS Oakland to San Francisco, CA. He served 19 straight months of sea duty before being honorably discharged on February 18, 1946 at Camp Wallace, TX.
Ceremony: The Memorial Day Ceremony will be held at Veterans Park, following the Parade. During the ceremony, the hymn for each military branch will be played. We are encouraging all veterans to attend and be recognized.
- The American flag, which flew at the American Embassy in Saigon, will be encased in glass and on display during the ceremony. The enemy attempted to destroy this flag while it flew. It was later liberated when the Saigon Embassy was evacuated.
This year marks the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. All veterans are encouraged to wear military uniforms, hats, caps or other symbols of patriotism. Survivors of veterans are invited to join in the march and are asked to carry photographs of their loved ones who served in the military. The entire community is encouraged to participate in this event.
Please make every effort to join us. Thank you.
Rolando Vela
City Manager
Town of Laguna Vista
122 Fernandez Street
Laguna Vista, Texas 78578
Phone: (956) 943-1793
Fax: (956) 943-3111
Email: cm@lvtexas.us
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