Vol. 53, No.45 Special Section Temple City, San Gabriel, & ROSEMEAD PAGE 5
Serving the San Gabriel Valley Since 1966
November 11, 2015
Local Events
Entertainment
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Student Corner
page 2, 3 “Off Beat Happenings”
page 14 - 15
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Rio Hondo Elementary School Honors Veteran’s at the 14th Annual Veteran’s Day Assembly by Arlene Bury El Monte
“Never was so much owed by so many to so few,” were the words of Winston
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Churchill during a wartime speech. These same words were quoted by teacher, Ron Lenggiere to begin the 14th Annual Veteran’s Day assembly at Rio Hondo School. Red, white and blue bunting was displayed along with the U.S. flag and flags representing all of the military branches. The Rio Hondo Band and Chorus, under the direction of Maureen Henderson, performed the Star-Spangled Banner along with the songs from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. There was a tribute to all American veterans – those currently serving, those who served in the past and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Twenty-year Navy veteran, Ernest Moralez, was among many of the honored
veterans in attendance. He said, “It is an honor to be recognized at this event.” He went on to say, “I’m happy that the school takes the time to do this. Young people need to know about the sacrifice of veterans.” Moralez has a second-grader who attends Rio Hondo School and whose class was part of the presentation to veterans. Rio Hondo Student Congress Representatives performed a skit about visiting the Arlington Cemetery. It was a good lesson for the students in attendance, helping to develop awareness of the sacrifices made by the members of the military and their families. El Monte Police Chief David Reynoso commented, “I want to thank Rio Hondo for taking the time
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to recognize veterans. This is important for our community and our country. The efforts and sacrifices of the men and women who served our country should not be forgotten.” Reynoso went on to say, “Being a former Marine, this day is special for me also.” Previously, the school held both a Veteran essay and poster contest. Eighthgrader Andrew Rivas won first place with his essay. He read it to the crowd and talked about the many veterans in his family including his grandfather Steve Hake,
a former EMCSD School Board member and Vietnam veteran who was in attendance to hear his grandson read his essay. The poster contest was won by seventh grader, Joseph Farias. His poster depicted his cousin Matthew Tolano who is currently serving in the Marine Corps. Fifth-grade student, Christopher Joseph, stated, “This is pretty cool, honoring people that were in the wars. I respect that.” Joseph had a few veterans in his own family including his “Pappy.” Each veteran in attendance
Remembering Veteran’s Day
Rio Hondo School Elementary Honors Veteran’s continued on page 12
by Staff Writer National
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Veterans Day is a special day to all American veterans living or dead. However, we especially give thanks to the living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime. It all happened at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. A temporary halt of fighting was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in World War I. It was then known as “the Great War.” Celebrated as Armistice Day the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. After World War II and the Korean War, “Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.” According to www.history.com, there are many interesting facts about how many veterans there are in the United States. “There are
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approximately 23.2 million military veterans in the U.S.” These brave men and woman continue to protect and defend us and for that we are forever grateful. Here are some facts about the current veteran popula-
tion of the United States: served during the Vietnam 9.2 million Veterans are War era (1964-1975), which over the age of 65. represents 33% of all living • 1.9 million Veterans are veterans. under the age of 35. • 5.2 million Veterans • 1.8 million Veterans are served during the Gulf War women. Veteran’s Day continued on page 13 • 7.8 million Veterans