County Vets Day ceremony No. 11 in Gardner

A flyover of vintage aircraft, patriotic music and speeches, and remarks from Gold Star family members will highlight the 23^rd Annual Johnson County Veterans Day Observance at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, at Veterans Memorial Park in Gardner.

The park is located at the southwest corner of South Center Street at Pawnee Lane, south of downtown Gardner.

This year’s Veterans Day marks the 90th anniversary of creation of an annual Armistice Day by President Woodrow Wilson. The observance recognizes the signing of the Armistice Treaty, which ended World War I when Germany and the Western allies agreed to a cease-fire. The armistice was signed at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918 – the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Since 1919, that date served as the national observance of Armistice Day until 1954 when the event was changed to Veterans Day by President Dwight Eisenhower and Congress.

Featured speakers will include Annabeth Surbaugh, Chairman of the Johnson County Board of Commissioners, and Lt. Col. Dave Johnson.

 Surbaugh has served on the Board of County Commissioners for 17 years, representing the Third District from 1992 until being elected the county’s first popularly elected chairman in 2002 under the new Home Rule Charter. She was re-elected to a second four-year term in 2006.

Johnson currently serves as the deputy training officer for the 35th Infantry Division at Fort Leavenworth. His most recent assignment was commander for the 1st Battalion, 161st Field Artillery which mobilized with the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard in 2007 and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008. A member of his unit was killed during the deployment.

His military service began in 1986. His decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Commendation Medal (three oak leaf clusters), Army Achievement Medal (two oak leaf clusters), Iraqi Campaign Medal, and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. Johnson and his wife, Jennifer, and their four daughters live in Lenexa.

Members of local Gold Star families who have lost a loved one in military service in World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars, and Operation Iraqi Freedom will be special guests at the ceremony.  Two Gold Star members will offer brief comments on behalf of their families. They are Larry Velasquez, Overland Park, and Debbie Austin, Spring Hill.

The Velasquez family has lost two family members while serving in the military. PFC David Velasquez, 19, was killed in combat action in Vietnam in 1966. His older brother, Major Raymond Velasquez, 36, was killed in a helicopter crash in 1971 while serving in Korea. Both were Marines.

PFC Michael Fonseca, 20, also a Marine from Gardner, was killed in Vietnam in 1967.

The Austin family lost a son, PFC Shane Austin, Edgerton, in combat action in 2006 in Iraq. He served in the Army.

The 2009 event features:

• Patriotic music by the Gardner Edgerton High School Band, under the direction of Janet Wittkopf,  and songs by  the Pioneer Ridge Middle School Jazzy Jaguars Choir, under the direction of Paul Fibelkorn;
• Flyover of vintage aircraft (weather permitting) from the Commemorative Air Force Heart of America Wing;
• Presentation of colors by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Color Guard;
• Rifle salute, bagpiper, and playing of “Echo Taps;”
• Placement of memorial wreaths by members of local veterans organizations;
• Ground display of vintage military vehicles;
• Scores of American flags;
• Patriot Guard; and,
• Refreshments by the American Legion Auxiliary in Gardner.

 Following the ceremony, the Gardner Historical Museum, 204 West Main Street, is sponsoring an open house from noon to 3 p.m. The museum’s exhibits include historic pictures and memorabilia from the Olathe Naval Air Station and local veterans.

The Veterans Memorial Park was dedicated on Memorial Day 1998 as a tribute to all veterans.  Use of the five-acre tract, formerly known as Manor Park, was donated by the city of Gardner. The memorial was built with donations and proceeds from selling more than 300 engraved commemorative bricks used in the design and construction of the memorial site.

The park features a landscaped area around the memorial of Georgia granite with an inscription of “Duty, Honor, Country.” It includes a walkway leading to the monument, trees and shrubs, benches, a flower garden, and three flagpoles.

The project was spearheaded by a Joint Task Force of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 11234 and Leroy Hill American Legion Post 19, both in Gardner. The post is named after Pvt. Leroy Hill, the first Johnson County soldier killed in WWI. He died in combat action in 1918 in France.

A Fallen Soldier Monument, featuring a rifle, boots, and helmet, was donated to the park in memory of PFC Austin and installed in 2008. It is inscribed: “To All Who Served Some Gave All.”

 The county’s annual Veterans Day observance began in 1987 with public services on the south steps of the Johnson County Courthouse in downtown Olathe before moving to the Kansas National Armory in west Olathe from 1995 to 2006. The 2007 event occurred at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Overland Park. In 2008, the ceremony took place at the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial in Antioch Park, Merriam.

The offices of Johnson County Government will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 11, in observance of Veterans Day.

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