Glendale’s Memorial Day Ceremony has become a cherished tradition in the community to honor and pay tribute to the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the country.
The city invites the community to join the annual Memorial Day ceremony on Monday at 9:30 a.m. in front of the Veterans Memorial, on the corner of Broadway and N. Isabel St. by Glendale City Hall (613 E. Broadway).
This year’s keynote speaker is Col. David Chianello of the U. S. Marine Corps. Chianello served in combat during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm as part of Task Force Ripper. His unit was vital in critical missions, including attacks on key targets such as Emir’s Ranch, Al-Jaber Military Airport and Kuwait City International Airport.
Chianello returned home with honor, serving out his enlistment with an honorable discharge, Combat Action Ribbon, Kuwait Liberation Medal, National Defense Ribbon and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, to name a few.
Transitioning to civilian life, Chianello pursued higher education, ultimately obtaining a degree in marketing and furthered his academic achievements by graduating from law school and passing the California State Bar. Chianello served as a deputy district attorney in Riverside for many years, playing an instrumental role in the Domestic Violence Unit, general felonies, Mental Health Court and Veteran’s Court. Today, he continues to positively impact his community as an associate attorney at the law offices of Mariya Melkonyan in Glendale.
Police Chief Manuel Cid will emcee the ceremony, which will also include remarks by Mayor Dan Brotman, an invocation by GPD Chaplain Mel Barnes, and a flag salute by Sebastian Ochoa, the nephew of USMC Lance Cpl. Pedro Barboza Flores, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2009 and whose name is on Glendale’s Memorial Wall. Hoover High School’s Paris Austin and Angela Ghazarian will perform the national anthem.
The GPD Color Guard and Glendale Police Explorers will take part in the presentation of colors and the laying of the roses, respectively.
For more information, call (818) 548-4844, option 1.
COMMUNITY GROUPS GATHER ON MAY 29
The American Legion Post No. 288 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 1614 will also host a Memorial Day celebration on Monday at 8 a.m. at Two Strike Park in La Crescenta.
The keynote speaker for the celebration will be retired Lt. Col. David Worley of the U.S. Air Force. He served 27 years in the Air Force, which began in 1975 and included eight years as an enlisted FAA-certified Air Traffic Controller. After attending Officer Training School in 1983, he served as a rated air battle manager. After, Worley spent 14 years instructing the U.S. Air Force Junior ROTC program at Crescenta Valley High School in La Crescenta, before retiring in 2017.
The Crescenta Valley High School U.S. Air Force Junior ROTC Color Guard will perform the presentation of colors and the Junior ROTC Honor Guard will perform the POW/MIA Missing Man ceremony. There will be a reading of the biographies of three fallen heroes from the Memorial Wall. The Verdugo Hills Woman’s Chorus will perform “Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor” and “The Wind Beneath My Wings.”
Cub Scout Pack No. 360 will conduct the Presentation of Flowers, which is sponsored by the American Legion Post No. 288.
All members of the Crescenta Valley community are invited to attend; seating will be provided. Two Strike Park is located at 5107 Rosemont Ave.
First published in the May 27 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
