HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.—A giant American flag waved from a fire engine ladder over a crowd at the Veterans Day ceremony at Pier Plaza in Huntington Beach Nov. 11, celebrating the over 10,000 veterans in the city with awards and performances.
Veterans and their families gathered with residents, visitors, and city officials at the pier to hear speeches dedicated to veterans and current service members from Mayor Barbara Delgleize and others.
“It’s a very special day,” Delgleize told The Epoch Times. “It gives us an opportunity to really acknowledge our veterans.”
The annual ceremony was staged by the city and the local American Legion, a volunteer organization made up of veterans and their families to provide support and services to help the veteran community.
“We have a strong American Legion. And we love the men and women who are members of it,” Delgleize said.
During the event, the mayor honored several veterans with awards for their service, including 20-year U.S. Air Force veteran and Huntington Beach resident Harlan Price.
Price, who was attending the event with his wife, joined the military just six months after the Korean War began, and served a year later.
When asked how it felt to live in a city that celebrates its veterans, Price told The Epoch Times, “I feel they do an adequate job. We have good leadership. We have good law enforcement, good hospitals, and the Legion does what they can.”
The ceremony drew a diverse crowd, including the two crowned Huntington Beach princesses from the Miss Huntington Beach Beauty Pageant of 2022: 24-year-old Coral Gangitano and 18-year-old Roslyn Brown-Bilyeu.
Proud to represent the city at the event, Brown-Bilyeu comes from a family with a long history of military service, including her grandfather, uncles, and brother.
“It was awesome to be here celebrating the veterans and their bravery ...,” Brown-Bilyeu told The Epoch Times. “We just love Huntington Beach and we love that they’re very supportive of our veterans.”
“I just love how patriotic Huntington Beach is,” she added.
Gangitano shared the sentiment and said it was “amazing” getting to meet the veterans and hear from them.
The ceremony ended with a performance from the Huntington Beach High School band and color guard, as well as a rifle volley.
The car show, which has been a part of the annual event, was not on display this year for unknown reasons.
A spokesperson for the city was not available for comment.
