Friends of El Dorado County Veterans Monument host Veterans Day ceremony

The Friends of the Veterans Monument will hold its annual El Dorado County Veterans Day Ceremony on November 11th at the El Dorado County Veterans Monument, 360 Fair Lane, Placerville.
The ceremony commences precisely at 11 a.m. with the call to order and present colors. The singing of our National Anthem follows, during which the distant rumbling of vintage radial engines will be heard as a flight of WWII-era war birds approaches the monument.

Their radial engines become a thundering sound - felt as much as heard – as they soar over the monument in a fly-by salute to those who have served the cause of freedom. 

As part of a special tribute on Veterans Day, two engraved granite benches will be dedicated and placed in the EDC Veterans Monument Plaza: 

One honors SSgt. Sky Mote USMC who was mortally wounded August 10, 2012 while serving as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.  

SSgt. Mote served as a member of the Marine Special Operations Team 8133 in Company C of the 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion. Marine Special Operations Company teammate Sgt. Brian Jaques will assist the Mote family in the dedication of the bench.  



El Dorado Community Foundation Executive Director William “Bill” Roby will officiate over the dedication of the second engraved granite bench which honors those who served in the Korean War. Former Lt. Larry Hyder USA, a Korean War veteran and owner of the Indian Creek Tree Farm, will accept the bench on behalf of all who served in the Korean War. The bench was designed and funded by Hayden Cooksy, Eagle Scout hopeful, as a project for his Eagle Scout badge. 

Highlights of this year’s tribute include:

— Special guest speaker and guest of honor, Lt. Colonel Richard Crevier USMC, Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines.
— Presentation of a bronze plaque, donated by Carl Hagen USAF, paying tribute to those who were lost in the Vietnam War.
— The T-6 aircraft fly-by salute honoring all EDC Veterans
— California Department of Veterans Affairs Chief Counsel Richard Irby, former USAF, presenting Governor Brown’s Veterans Day Proclamation
— Participation by local Girl Scout, Cub Scout, and Boy Scout troops as well as veteran service organizations.
— Announcement and presentation of the El Dorado County Veterans Monument “Veteran of the Year Award.”
— The Foothills Women’s Chorus singing of the National Anthem.

Many generations of veterans and their families will attend this event at the picturesque El Dorado County Veterans Monument which will include military regalia, patriotic songs, bagpipes, buglers and a 21-gun salute to all veterans.