Community gathers at Bellis Park
By Loreen Berlin
Monday, May 28, the City of Buena Park held its 37th Annual Memorial Day Remembrance Service at Bellis Park, honoring former and current servicemembers, and community members who have passed away during the year.
The event honors the men and women who bravely and honorably serve and have served in the Armed Services and who continue to serve to protect Democracy, freedom and liberty for all Americans.
Guest speaker was Ret. U.S. Navy Commander Larry Friese, who was a Prisoner of War (POW) for four years during the Vietnam War.
Friese told how he’d grown up in the 1940s and 50s when the President was Dwight Eisenhower and the Vice President for eight years was Richard Nixon. The conversation was about friendly countries and Communist countries and how the number of red or Communist countries were increasing.
“It was a scary time for me to hear my parents and other grownups talk about how the Communists were out to take over the world,” recounted Friese. “The Korean War happened during my childhood and was a war with 35-to 40,000 Americans, which was to stop the spread of Communism.”
Friese told how serving in the U.S. Navy, he was shot down during a four-day evasion.
“So, now, here I am, in a Communist prison in North Vietnam and I don’t know how many times I read during that time that the Communists wanted to eradicate Capitalism from the world. One day, an officer in the Army of North Vietnam told me, ‘Contrary to what we would like to believe, wars are never settled over a conference table, they are always settled on the battlefield.'”
Friese was in solitary confinement for 18 months and then was moved in with a group of 40 prisoners.
“Within four days of Nixon’s landslide victory as President of the United States, Nixon sent B-52s, the Air Force Tactical Air Command and Navy War Birds from six different carriers; it was called Operation Linebacker II; we were hopeful as the ground shook like a ‘nine’ on the Richter-scale with bombs and SAMS and AAAs being shot, and within three months everyone of us was back in the good ole’ U.S.A.,” he said.
Friese said there were stories of Vietnam Veterans not always welcomed home in the most grateful way, “But we Vietnam ex-POWs who came home from the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ were given a truly magnanimous welcome home.”
“I was given the green light today, to represent all Vietnam ex-POWs and I’d like to include those who have flown on ahead, like Vice Adm. Jim Stockdale, so please visualize them beside me as we say thanks to all of the Vietnam Veterans and all of the people who supported the Vietnam Veterans – everyone who participated in Linebacker II- and everyone who voted in 1972,” Friese said. “Knowing that good people like you were back here pulling for us is what got us through those long and unpleasant years; you brought us home and in the end you added one of those little epsilons toward the overall goal of President Ronald Reagan saying, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”
Friese said he lost a cousin, ROTC classmates and squadron mates in the war.
“My wife lost her first husband; my two stepsons lost their dad and I lost five years of my life; I’ve been home now for more than 45 years and have had a pretty much normal life and one of the things I appreciate the most is that we have a two-party political system that keeps each other honest to say the least. I lived for five years where they only have one political party and that party owns the Army, the newspapers, the TV stations, the publishing houses; everything, and that’s not good. I’m extremely thankful for our two-party system.”
He closed by reminding people that on Memorial Day, we honor the sacrifices of those who died in the service of our country. “God love them and may they rest in peace; God bless America.”
The morning began with a breakfast of French toast and strawberries at 8 a.m., served by Soroptimist International of Buena Park.
The Ceremony began at 10 a.m., followed by a complimentary “Picnic at the Park” of hot dogs and hamburgers with all of the trimmings, handily barbequed by the Knights of Columbus.
The event is spear-headed each year, by one of the Service groups from the community; this year was under the direction of Rotary International of Buena Park with President Baron Night being the master of ceremonies; he’s also a member of the “Nightshift” band.
