Petaluma honors vets, dedicates Korean War Memorial

With a Huey helicopter flying overhead, a record crowd of thousands packed downtown Petaluma on Wednesday to cheer military veterans participating in the city’s raucous Veterans Day parade.

“Thank you!” Nancy Aiona yelled over and over as a procession of military personnel past and present strolled and rode past her on Kentucky Street, packed on both sides with a flag-waving throng.

The elementary school teacher said Wednesday’s turnout was the largest she had ever witnessed in the 20 years or so that she’s been attending the parade. Organizers of the event supported that view, saying this year’s parade likely set a new attendance record.

“I was amazed today at how difficult it was to find parking,” said Raul Guerra, who staked out a spot along the parade route on Petaluma Boulevard North near the Mystic Theatre with his wife and the couple’s granddaughter, Eva Burcina, who turned 6 on Wednesday.

The parade honors veterans of every American war and conflict, but this year focused special attention on the so-called “forgotten war” with the dedication of a Korean War Memorial at Walnut Park to cap the day’s festivities.

The memorial honors three Petalumans who were killed while fighting in Korea, including George Poe, a Marine who died in a mortar attack on Feb. 17, 1953.

On Wednesday, Poe’s 89-year-old brother Ed, a World War II veteran, rode in a wagon at the head of the parade, pulled along by the grand marshal’s truck as proud family members looked on.

George Poe, who is named for his late uncle, said the memorial honoring his family member is “very gratifying after all these years. It’s very fitting that the Korean guys are getting recognized.”

The memorial, set alongside the gazebo in Walnut Park, is fashioned out of North Dakota granite and bears the names of Poe, Robert Baur and Joseph Mendonca.

Six years in the making, the memorial project received a last-minute boost from the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, which voted unanimously Tuesday to allocate $16,320 from the general fund to pay the outstanding balance of the memorial, which in total cost about $35,000.

Prior to the dedication ceremony, south county Supervisor David Rabbitt said the amount was more than what the board typically spends on discretionary items or causes. But he said the gift reflects the county’s strong support for veterans, who number about 33,000.

Paul Lewis, a Petaluma veteran of the Korean War who spearheaded the memorial project, said Wednesday he was grateful for the donation.

“The mission is going to be complete this afternoon,” he said.

The memorial was graced by American and Korean flags. The speakers at the dedication ceremony included Lee Sang Ryol, deputy consul general of the Korean Consulate in San Francisco.

“I can feel the anxiety and agony of those young soldiers, to be separated from their loved ones in Petaluma to go to war in a remote country, and the war which has often been described as a forgotten war,” Lee told the crowd gathered at the gazebo. “But ladies and gentlemen, I’d rather say the Korean War was not a forgotten war. It is a forgotten victory.”

Keynote speaker Gary Medvigy, an Army Reserve major general and a Sonoma County judge, praised Korean War veterans for halting the threat of Communist expansion. He noted that the battle is still being waged, and that the coalition of American and Korean forces “stand ready today to fight” against North Korean aggression.

Wednesday’s parade featured more than 200 entries ranging from military vehicles and fire trucks to horse-drawn wagons and tractors.

“She needs to see this,” said Erika McCown of her 1-year-old daughter, Grace, as she cradled her in a front pack.

You can reach Staff Writer Derek Moore at 521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @deadlinederek.