[5:01] Sir, nice, all we got. 2-2, one, two, two.

[11:06] . .

[11:17] . . . .

[16:00] Straight down, we've got to repeat, they're good.

[38:42] Good afternoon, everybody. If I could ask everyone to please take a seat. I'm going to get started here in just a moment.

[39:14] Well, good afternoon, everybody. Distinguished guests, families, community members, and most importantly, the honored veterans that we have in the audience. Welcome to West Lake Village. We appreciate you being here. My name is Rob DeGose. I'm the city manager for West Lake Village. It's a special day today. And we're really grateful that you have joined us here for the dedication

[39:36] of the veterans on a tree that's right behind us.

[39:40] It's my pleasure to introduce our MC this evening,

[39:44] and that is our Mayor Pro Tem Brad Helpen, Brad.

[39:55] You know, 250 years ago today, not much happened.

[40:00] 250 years plus nine days, we all know what happened, but today, today is a big day for our city. If you want to know more about this, I just want to point out over there is a plaque that explains all of the significance, and when you read it you're going to find out the deeper meaning. Today we gather with gratitude respect and pride as we dedicate our veterans' honor tree to the brave veterans, the veterans

[40:30] men and women, past, present, and future.

[40:33] In the United States Armed Forces,

[40:35] their courage, sacrifice, and commitment

[40:38] to protecting our freedoms have helped shape

[40:40] the nation we cherish today.

[40:42] Before we begin, I'd like to acknowledge

[40:45] some distinguished guests sitting here today

[40:47] and dignitaries who've joined us.

[40:50] Please hold your applause till the end.

[40:53] We have our city council that made this possible.

[40:56] We have Council Member Ray Pearl, Council Member Kelly Honeg, Council Member Ned Davis.

[41:05] We have our veterans advisory committee members, Michael Edelstein, Stone Halpern, Samuel

[41:11] Simmons, and Todd Zink.

[41:15] Of our staff, we have our city manager that you just saw up here, Rob DeGose,

[41:23] assistant

[41:26] City Clerk and Twinnett Mann.

[41:29] We have from Assembly Member Jackie Irwin's office,

[41:33] Ryan Valencia and Nancy Frawley.

[41:36] Representing Supervisor Lindy Horvath's office,

[41:39] Danielle Vicente, Tracy Cooper Harris.

[41:43] From the City of Agura Hills, Council Member Penny Sylvester,

[41:47] City Manager Nate Hamburger.

[41:50] City of Hidden Hills, Council Member Enrico Gold.

[41:53] Loss Virginis Unified School District Board Member Linda Manges, Superintendent Dan Stepanowski.

[42:01] Loss Virginis Malibu Kog, Executive Director Terry Dippel.

[42:06] Kineho Valley Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Danielle Borja.

[42:11] Our partners in this project, Jack Kiesel, of Kiesel Designs.

[42:16] Michael Sanchez, Kiesel Designs and Artists for the Honor Tree, Rob Jobson, Forsyte Designs

[42:23] and Artists for the Fabricator for the Honor Tree. Also, I would like to also welcome our brand

[42:31] new captain of our fire station, station 144. Paco, I can't pronounce you like Lomelli. So,

[42:41] Glad to have you here. Welcome to our city.

[42:48] First responders from Los Angeles Sheriff's Department in Los Angeles County Fire Department, many who were veterans have joined us today.

[42:55] We are honored to have the Marine Corps League Color Guard, Chaplin and Lieutenant Commander from United States Navy Reserves as a part of our program today.

[43:06] Now, let us take a moment, reflect on the bravery of those who wear our nation's uniform,

[43:12] the families who support them, and the fallen heroes who gave their lives in defense

[43:17] of our country.

[43:18] To all veterans here today, thank you.

[43:22] We are deeply grateful for your service.

[43:24] Please stand and be recognized for a round of applause.

[43:30] Look at that.

[43:31] Look at that.

[43:40] Look at that.

[43:42] from the President, Ronald Reagan, detachment, number 597, Marine Corps League to present the colors.

[44:11] Mark, Mark,

[44:15] Peter, Paul, the face,

[44:24] Richard, Paul.

[44:49] You are all in for a real treat.

[44:52] I would like to invite Camilla Ipsin, a local Wesley Village young resident to sing our national anthem.

[45:09] So say, can you see,

[45:14] on the early light, what's so proud

[45:22] at the twilight's last gleaming? Who's brought stripes and bright starlit

[45:35] as fight? Or the river

[45:41] so gallantly streaming as

[46:04] still there?

[46:33] Kamehla, please remain standing. Put your hand over your heart and join me in the

[46:41] Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of

[46:46] America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible

[46:54] with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. You may be seated.

[47:52] Our first speaker,

[47:53] It's you may know him. It's my honor to invite a member of West Lake Village City Council, Council Member Ray Pearl to the podium and while he's coming up here, this was his idea. He brought the idea of doing a veteran's memorial to our city and look at it several years later.

[48:15] Ray

[48:18] is a veteran former lieutenant in the United States Navy.

[48:21] We are honored to see his idea and vision achieved with this sculpture.

[48:25] Please welcome Ray Pearl.

[48:32] Thank you, Brad, and good evening everyone.

[48:35] As Brad said, I'm Councilmember Ray Pearl and also a former lieutenant in the United States Navy.

[48:41] I want to thank all of you for being here today, especially our veterans and their families.

[48:47] Today we gathered to dedicate this veteran's honor tree a powerful symbol of service, sacrifice, and community.

[48:55] But to get to today our city has taken a long and deliberate road.

[49:00] One of the key components of attempting to represent your community as an elected official is walking door to door and having real conversations with the people you hope to represent.

[49:11] When I first ran for City Council in 2018, I did just that.

[49:16] And it was in those conversations, and especially memorable one, with an Army veteran who lived

[49:21] in Oak Forest, who when he found out I was a veteran invited me into his home, that the

[49:28] idea of one day our city honoring our veterans in a big and public way began to take hold.

[49:34] But as you quickly learn as a council member that it takes four others to turn an idea

[49:40] India, into a vision and then a goal and ultimately a successful project.

[49:47] To my colleagues who heard me and embraced this concept, I say thank you.

[49:53] I am humbled to be here today and truly honored to share this with all of you.

[50:00] To our city manager and our dedicated city staff, the idea is maybe one thing but the execution is arguably more important. I am proud to stand here representing all of you with my heartfelt gratitude. And finally to my fellow veterans who joined us on the city's ad hoc committee helping us bring all of this to reality. I salute you all and I thank you for your service not only to our country but to your city.

[50:29] As a former naval officer, I know that military service is about something larger than

[50:33] ourselves.

[50:34] It is a commitment to stand watch, to answer the call, and to serve a cause greater than

[50:40] our own interests.

[50:42] That commitment is shared by generations of veterans whose lives and stories are represented

[50:48] by this culture.

[50:50] For me, this dedication is also deeply personal.

[50:53] My father served a career in the United States Air Force and is a Vietnam veteran.

[51:00] Growing up, I witnessed firsthand the values of military service, duty, integrity, humility,

[51:08] and perseverance.

[51:10] Those lessons have stayed with me throughout my own life and public service.

[51:16] The tree is a fitting tribute.

[51:19] like a tree our veterans have deep roots in our community and are based with

[51:24] courage and sacrifice. Its branches remind us of the many paths of service

[51:31] represented by those who choose to wear our nation's uniform and just as the

[51:36] tree provide shelter and strength to a community our veterans have helped

[51:40] protect the freedoms and opportunities that we enjoy every day. The City of

[51:47] Wesley Village takes great pride in being a community built on kindness and service to others.

[51:53] Those values are not separate from the ideals of military service.

[51:57] They are actually reflections of them.

[52:00] Every act of kindness, every neighbor helping a neighbor, and every citizen who steps forward to serve strengthens the community that we all share.

[52:11] May this veteran's honor tree stand as a permanent place of remembrance, gratitude, and

[52:17] inspiration.

[52:19] May it remind us to honor those who have served, to support those who continue to serve,

[52:26] and live lives worthy of the sacrifices made on our behalf.

[52:31] I want to thank you all for being here again, and I want to thank our veterans and especially

[52:38] their families for all of their service and their sacrifice.

[52:42] Thank you.

[52:54] Thank you, Ray.

[52:55] Now, get comfortable.

[52:57] To read, start to finish the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, if we have

[53:01] time.

[53:01] Maybe the Magna Carta.

[53:04] I was hoping for a bigger laugh.

[53:06] Welcome, our Mayor, Sue McSweeney.

[53:12] Good afternoon.

[53:13] I'm here as a proud daughter of a veteran.

[53:18] and as a proud member of a community that doesn't forget that remembers people's sacrifice

[53:30] long after they're gone and thinks about people that are doing that even today.

[53:38] They're signing up and giving over their time and their talents to serve our country.

[53:46] Today, in honor of my dad, who was a B-25 bomber pilot during World War II, I brought

[53:56] his scarf that he wore in every mission, he flew 25 missions.

[54:02] Never really talked about it because the greatest generation I don't think they did.

[54:07] They were just happy that they got to come home and to talk about it would have felt like

[54:12] they were bragging for the people that lost their lives.

[54:18] So I just can't tell you how proud I am that this is something that our council and

[54:24] our community decided to put together.

[54:28] I just don't think people in the service get the credit, they deserve.

[54:34] Ray your speech was beautiful.

[54:39] This is what the West Lake Village is all about and that's what I think we're all about today and that is the people that we want are young people to look up to the people that care about other people in their country and care about service.

[54:57] So I'm now it's my honor to enter.

[55:00] Introduce the next speaker. And that speaker is Todd Zink. And I want to tell you a little bit about how Todd's involved. He assisted the city staff with the on a tree. And he was on the Veterans Advisory Committee with four other West Lake Village Veterans.

[55:26] Todd was a member of the Marine Corps.

[55:29] And

[55:32] he served on this committee with Mike Edelstein from the Navy, Samuel Simmons from the Navy also, and our own Stone Halfern who served with the United States Coast Guard and maybe related to someone that's here tonight, or a few some, some ones they actually made a lot of decisions about what they wanted on this tree, which we really

[56:03] that was great. Their perspective and input was vital in the design process and they

[56:10] ensured that we truly honored everything that they talked about and I think that they

[56:17] came up with a beautiful design. Todd's going to be our next speaker so Todd, if you'd come

[56:24] up and tell us a little bit more about yourself and your experience on the committee.

[56:38] Well, again, my name is Todd Zank, I was a Marine for 30 years.

[56:42] I am a long time resident of West Lake Village, of 20 years.

[56:47] I raised both my sons here and I am absolutely honored to have been invited to be part of this Veteran ad hoc committee and

[56:56] to be able to speak to you for a few minutes here today as to the meaning of this Veteran Honor tree behind me.

[57:03] So, first off, this wasn't a quick process, and so it took a lot of collaboration with

[57:12] many different people over a couple years, and it was very thoughtfully done, and it

[57:19] makes me very proud as a resident of this city to be living here, where people take

[57:25] such care to honor veterans in the past, the present, and in the future.

[57:32] So again, I would like to just give out my thanks, my personal thanks to the city, particularly

[57:36] Rob and your efforts, sort of at the key of this keystone of all this, the city council,

[57:42] in its entirety, but particularly Ray Pearl and Brad Halpern, who also sat on the committee

[57:47] with me and the other veterans.

[57:49] And I will re-recognize my long-term friend, Dr. Michael Edelstein, who he and I drove back

[57:56] and forth to the meetings.

[57:57] And I know Stone would like to have been here, but he represents the U.S. Coast Guard and Sam, who also represents the Navy.

[58:07] But like many of the speakers before you, I come from a military background.

[58:13] My father served in the Army for 25 years, the two tours in Vietnam.

[58:18] So I was known as an Army brat, and I traveled all over the country.

[58:24] But I remember about two years ago when I was invited by Antoinette to be a member of this committee and I came into Rob's office and I didn't know what to expect, but I was excited that the city was getting behind this idea.

[58:38] And he showed me this little model made out of wood of what you see behind me.

[58:44] And I was really genuinely moved by the design, the concept, the thoughtfulness,

[58:50] This, the symbolism of a tree of life, a liberty tree if you want to call it, representing

[58:57] service in the military, where all branches, now all six branches are one.

[59:04] So I do want to put out a special recognition because I think the idea deserves credit and

[59:09] that would be Michael Sanchez and I believe Ron Jopson, I was really taken and it really

[59:15] moved me throughout this whole experience.

[59:18] Now, I'm going to briefly just comment on three areas of this tree as I saw it as it

[59:22] meant to me.

[59:23] I'm going to speak about a tree as a sapling, as a young, vulnerable tree.

[59:29] I'm going to speak about what type of sacrifice it takes to let that tree grow.

[59:34] And then the continued service moving in the future if we want to see it to continue to grow

[59:38] higher and higher.

[59:39] So with that being said, I'll speak about why do I say a sapling?

[59:45] Well, if we were all here 250 years ago, there would be no tree behind me.

[59:52] There may just be one of these seeds as you can see on this tree that somehow managed to get find itself in the ground.

[1:00:00] And there was just this idea, this good idea of what we call liberty, that was floating around in our colonies, and there were a few brave militiamen in uniform, mountain lexington, the year prior, 77 of them, made a stand against 700 British red coats on the Lexington green.

[1:00:24] And those were the first veterans in uniform to fall on our behalf.

[1:00:29] And eight of them fell that day, and that was the first blood spilt by any of our veterans.

[1:00:39] And that sort of ignited the seed and gave it some life.

[1:00:44] What became known as the Spirit of 1776, and the battle cry of those early veterans was

[1:00:49] liberty or death, and many more decided to volunteer despite the fact that we were losing some lives.

[1:00:56] And because of their willingness to step forward and volunteer, we want our independence against the King.

[1:01:07] And it started to take root to allow this new idea of liberty, not just liberty, but really a new order in a new world.

[1:01:19] We were going to be out of many one, which is our national model from 1776.

[1:01:25] And we were going to be one nation under God, as it says in our pledge, and that we were

[1:01:32] going to have each and every one of us inalienable rights that can't be taken away of life liberty

[1:01:38] in the pursuit of happiness.

[1:01:40] So what were we left with in 1776, but this little sapling that just had taken root because

[1:01:47] of some brave militia men who weren't trained, who had to fight a well-trained military and

[1:01:53] prevailed. So we have 250 years later. That's a long time. Of that time frame, to allow

[1:02:04] this sapling to now grow to 18 feet tall behind me, it took 41 million American citizens

[1:02:11] and non-citizens, some of them are non-citizens, who decided to wear the uniform and serve our

[1:02:18] our nation over the 251 year, 250 years.

[1:02:23] During that time frame, we've been in many wars, many battles,

[1:02:26] many conflicts, and we lost 1.2 million while they were

[1:02:31] wearing the uniform service to our nation, who paid the

[1:02:34] ultimate sacrifice so we can enjoy our freedoms here today.

[1:02:40] Now, when I look at this steel sculpture, what moves me a

[1:02:47] little bit because of my time in my age was 9-11. The steel kind of reminds me of

[1:02:54] what I saw on that fateful day where I literally stayed up for three-day

[1:02:58] straight as we were all witnessing that tragedy unfold and the ash falling on

[1:03:06] those fallen buildings but today I don't necessarily think of the

[1:03:13] structures from 9-11. I think of a new age, a new life, to a new tree where over the last

[1:03:22] 25 years many other Americans stepped forward and volunteered in service to allow this tree behind

[1:03:29] me to continue to grow despite those dark days.

[1:03:35] And I would like to say not just continue to grow

[1:03:38] and to dust off the shroud of dust that had fallen upon the steel. But now this

[1:03:44] steel behind me you won't see it today. There's a brilliant light that shines

[1:03:49] within it that illuminates our national colors upon the floor we walk.

[1:03:57] Now that

[1:03:57] brings me to my last point. So here we are today, 250 years of freedom because of

[1:04:04] oftentimes because of people who choose to wear the uniform.

[1:04:09] Where do we go from

[1:04:10] From now, where will we be in 25 years from today?

[1:04:14] Will this tree be bigger, stronger?

[1:04:18] Where will we be in 250 years from today?

[1:04:24] So every time we come to this place, whether or not you're a veteran or not or you've had

[1:04:29] a family member serve in a past war so you admire their service, you should talk about that

[1:04:34] while you're here.

[1:04:36] You should celebrate and honor their service that we should never take for granted.

[1:04:41] But we do that not to brag, not to say, hey, look at me.

[1:04:47] We do that to inspire the next one in line.

[1:04:50] We do that to inspire the next generation so that they are willing and courageous enough

[1:04:56] Like that first eight who died on the battle of

[1:05:15] So may this inspire that same spirit of 1776 in the next generation for history will prove that there will be times that will try us. And we will need young men and women in this region.

[1:05:29] like that, to serve on our behalf.

[1:05:33] So I just leave you with this,

[1:05:34] made this honor tree of life and liberty,

[1:05:38] continue to grow and glow.

[1:05:41] Thank you very much.

[1:05:54] Next up, we'd like to have

[1:05:57] Chaplain Lieutenant Colonel Brian Lispada

[1:06:01] come and join me for some remarks.

[1:06:08] Very nice to meet you.

[1:06:16] Good evening.

[1:06:19] When I was asked to do this,

[1:06:21] I told them that I have 45 minutes of material

[1:06:23] and they asked me to do it in five so we have a long history my family here in

[1:06:29] Westlake my dad was in the Air Force my uncle was in the army Vietnam my grandfather

[1:06:35] was in World War II as an army my dad flew in the Air Force and so many

[1:06:40] don't know this but Camario Airport used to be Oxnard Air Force Base and so my

[1:06:45] dad I was born in Burbank 1971 and so my dad used to fly over Westlake

[1:06:51] village is that that's a nice place that's real nice down there so him and my mom they

[1:06:56] went and bought a house I think for $40,000 which we could sell today and retire on

[1:07:01] I mean it's just amazing but I'm really privileged to be here please forgive me I do not live

[1:07:06] in Westlake I actually live in a gory with my beautiful family but I'm working my way back

[1:07:10] sometimes that path is hard to get back to Westlake but I've always said that this is one

[1:07:16] of the most special places on Earth and when I was a kid, we used to call it the village

[1:07:22] because that's really what it felt like. It was a small community of people. It has changed

[1:07:26] sense but the sentiment of it being a village is still there and so I really appreciate the

[1:07:32] opportunity to be here and share something with you and I just wrote a few things down.

[1:07:39] So today, we do gather together to dedicate this Veterans' Honor tree as a visible testimony

[1:07:47] to the invisible virtues, the courage, the duty, the sacrifice, and the love of country.

[1:07:54] First, remember those who did give the ultimate sacrifice, and for freedom has never been

[1:07:59] free, throughout our nation's history brave men and women answered the call of duty, and

[1:08:04] And knowing that service might require everything they possessed even their lives.

[1:08:09] Some never returned home to their families, and some never saw their children grow, and

[1:08:13] some never enjoyed the peace that they fought to preserve.

[1:08:16] But we pause today in humble gratitude for those heroes.

[1:08:20] Their names may be etched on memorials throughout our country, but more importantly, their sacrifices

[1:08:26] etched into our hearts and to the story of our nation.

[1:08:29] As it's been said, greater love has no man than this that a man would lay down his life

[1:08:35] for his friend and made up his soul.

[1:08:38] Second, we honor all those who have served the veterans.

[1:08:43] Not every veteran died in battle, but every veteran was willing to put on the uniform and

[1:08:47] to put themselves in harm's way for the betterment of their neighbor, for the betterment of

[1:08:52] their country.

[1:08:53] They left their homes, their families, they left behind birthdays and celebrations of

[1:08:59] watching their kids grow, they stood watch while others slept, they trained, they sacrificed,

[1:09:06] they endured hardships, and they answered the call whenever their duty needed them.

[1:09:11] So today we recognize veterans from every branch, from all six, every generation, every conflict.

[1:09:17] Some served during times of war and others during times of peace, but all shared a common commitment

[1:09:22] to defend the freedoms that we enjoy.

[1:09:26] To our veterans present today, we say thank you.

[1:09:29] Thank you for your courage.

[1:09:31] Thank you for your service.

[1:09:32] And thank you for your example.

[1:09:35] Your willingness to stand in harm's way has allowed generations of Americans to pursue their dreams and freedom.

[1:09:42] And finally, I want to mention those in the future, the future generation.

[1:09:49] Now, I'm 55 years old and I went through what is called Officer Development School of 50.

[1:09:55] I went in later in life, it required a lot of waivers to get me in.

[1:09:59] Bye.

[1:10:00] The pastor of church called Calvary Chapel Malibu in the city of Malibu, and I just, I had the inspiration to go, was raised in a military family, as I already mentioned, but I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself. And by God's amazing grace, He opened that door, and He let me in. And it was a miracle. They said, what are you doing here, you're two, and I got in. But the future generation is what we're passing these things on to. The remembrance of the past is an investment in the future.

[1:10:28] Years from now children will walk by this place and they'll ask their parents what does

[1:10:33] this mean, what are those names written up there, what is the what is the Air Force do,

[1:10:38] what does the Space Force do, who are these people and the answers clear.

[1:10:44] They ordinary men and women who did extraordinary things because they love something greater

[1:10:50] than themselves.

[1:10:52] May this monument teach our children the freedom that carries a cost, that patriotism

[1:10:58] requires responsibility and the character does in fact matter, made inspire future generations

[1:11:04] to value faith and family, community and country.

[1:11:09] Long after we are gone, may this place remind those who come after us that courage is never

[1:11:14] outdated, sacrifice is never forgotten, and honor never dies.

[1:11:19] So today as we dedicate this Veterans Honor Tree, let us dedicate ourselves to remember the

[1:11:26] fallen to honor those who have served and to pass it on to future generations, a legacy

[1:11:32] worthy of their sacrifice.

[1:11:35] And so, may God bless our veterans, may God comfort the families of the fallen, and may

[1:11:39] God continue to bless these United States of America.

[1:11:43] Thank you.

[1:11:56] Jackie Irwin, our assembly member couldn't be with us this afternoon, so we have somebody

[1:12:04] ready representing her, who's going to come up with a say a few words.

[1:12:11] Ryan Valencia?

[1:12:17] Well,

[1:12:24] good afternoon, everyone.

[1:12:28] Thank you so much for having us. The assembly member

[1:12:31] does apologize for not being here. Sacramento did keep her late, so she's delayed this evening,

[1:12:37] but I'm proud to speak on her behalf, not only as her district director, but additionally,

[1:12:44] as somebody currently serving, in just three days we'll mark my fifth year serving in the Army National Guard previously as an infantryman and I'm continuing another five years per my extension as an infantry officer with some of our great gentlemen out in Palmdale, so very, very proud of that.

[1:13:10] The Assemblymember just deeply appreciates this recognition of our servicemen and women.

[1:13:17] She has served this community for the last 12 years, proudly.

[1:13:21] We are sad to leave the legislature at the end of the year.

[1:13:26] But additionally, just as eight years, she got to serve as the chair of military and veterans affairs.

[1:13:31] It was a job that she was extremely proud to hold.

[1:13:35] So, this is an issue very near to endear to her, but additionally to myself.

[1:13:42] So, I will make these remarks on her behalf and say that good evening, and thank you to the city of West Lake Village and its Veterans Advisory Committee for inviting us to join you all for this special day as we dedicate this honor tree to our service members of past and present.

[1:14:00] As you all are well aware, this dedication lands during an important anniversary for our nation, our 250th.

[1:14:09] This important milestone of America's independence, when 56 delegates to the second Continental Congress signed our declaration,

[1:14:16] reflects much more than just that document. It reflects sacrifice.

[1:14:21] We cannot forget that stating that our nation was free from the crown, that all involved from the founding fathers to the brothers and

[1:14:29] arms were guilty of the highest treason, punishable by torture and death.

[1:14:36] It was one aspect to declare our independence, but another one was to defend it.

[1:14:42] Just last year, we celebrated another 250th anniversary, that of the United States Army,

[1:14:49] created on June 14, 1775 with General George Washington at its head for our common defense.

[1:14:57] in his ask for his men to

[1:15:00] Justice, the winter of the next year, General Washington expressed his understanding of all that they have put at stake in the war. Their wives, their houses, and all they held dear. But said, if you will consent to stay one month longer, you will render that service to the cause of liberty and to your country, which you probably can never do under any circumstance. Every soldier, sailor, marine,

[1:15:29] mean, Coast Guardsmen, Airmen and Guardian has understood the sacrifice upon joining our

[1:15:36] military ranks.

[1:15:38] In this honor tree, we see the mission scope spread as the branches grew beyond 7075,

[1:15:45] whether by land, air, or sea, generations of brave Americans have answered that call of

[1:15:52] something bigger than themselves.

[1:15:54] And for that we say thank you to all who have rendered your service to the cause of liberty

[1:15:58] and to your country knowing all at stake.

[1:16:03] And to our military families,

[1:16:05] may we never forget your own sacrifice.

[1:16:09] As you've kissed your service member, goodbye, or welcome home.

[1:16:14] May we honor all past, present, and future.

[1:16:19] So with that, we did have some certificates that I'll leave here for

[1:16:23] Ron, for Michael, for the city, for advisory committee to thank you for that.

[1:16:28] That I'll just read just a little pass it.

[1:16:31] And that is on behalf of Assembly Member Erwin.

[1:16:35] Congratulations on the dedication of the city of West Lake Village's honor tree,

[1:16:40] recognizing our service members of past, present, and future.

[1:16:43] Thank you for your contributions to our men and women in uniform and their families.

[1:16:47] Our community is stronger because of the support and

[1:16:50] commemoration you have given our troops with this project.

[1:16:54] So thank you so much for having us and very much appreciated.

[1:17:11] So

[1:17:17] for our closing remarks,

[1:17:21] I just want to say our veterans' honor tree sculpture is our

[1:17:27] lasting expression of gratitude to recognize the service of our veterans.

[1:17:32] Remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice, those who will join the armed forces in the future.

[1:17:38] This veterans' honor tree sculpture allows us to reaffirm our commitment to honoring their

[1:17:42] legacy for generations to come.

[1:17:46] And as we come to a close of today's dedication ceremony, let us take with us a renewed sense

[1:17:53] of gratitude for the veterans who service and sacrifice have made this day possible.

[1:18:01] And I'd also like to add that the people that are still striving to make our ideals stay

[1:18:11] important and stay something that everybody appreciates. I'd also like to see if we have

[1:18:19] a few veterans that are in uniform but not Army Navy Air Force or Coast Guard. Do we have

[1:18:30] a few of those from 144? Stand up Paco.

[1:18:37] This is one of our new captains at our local station

[1:18:41] in 144, who also happens to be a veteran.

[1:18:46] What branch of the service?

[1:18:49] Oh, wow, semper fee.

[1:18:54] And do we have anybody from the Sheriff's Department today representing it?

[1:18:59] Oh, thank you very much.

[1:19:01] Can we have everybody stand, can you stand with them?

[1:19:05] We know that the service that you do is just a continuation of what you did for our

[1:19:12] country.

[1:19:13] Now you're doing it directly in our community, and we can't tell you how much we appreciate

[1:19:18] that.

[1:19:19] So thank you very much.

[1:19:24] And I want to quote President John F. Kennedy, who was a Navy veteran, and say, as we express

[1:19:33] our gratitude we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words,

[1:19:40] but to live by them and hopefully that's what all of us will take away from this dedication

[1:19:47] that we're going to live by these ideals and by the oath that so many of our forefathers and

[1:19:53] the people in the future are going to take. Thanks very much and now I think we have some refreshments.

[1:20:07] Okay.

City Council View-OLD — The Honor Tree - City of Westlake Village

Agenda

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