Moorpark dedicates new veterans memorial

By Michele Willer-Allred For years, the main gathering place in Moorpark to honor military veterans was a small grassy knoll in front of a restaurant on Moorpark Avenue.

Today, the new Moorpark veterans memorial plaza was unveiled during a ceremony attended by several hundred people, including many military veterans and city officials.

The new half-acre plaza is adjacent to the Moorpark Police Services Center at the southeast corner of Flinn Avenue and Spring Road. It will be the main location for Veterans Day and Memorial Day observances, as well as other city-sponsored events, city officials said.

The plaza unveiling was held today on Armed Forces Day and also was planned near Memorial Day.

James Carpenter, a veteran and commander of American Legion Post 502 in Moorpark, said the veterans memorial took many years of planning and hard work by many in the community. “It is a culmination of a dream,” said Carpenter.

Carpenter said the site on Moorpark Avenue is not only too small, but also very close to traffic, which made it unsafe for larger activities. It also was on land owned by Caltrans, which left it at risk of being moved for future road projects, Carpenter said.

The new, $520,000 memorial was paid for by the city’s Art in Public Places program, which is funded by developer fees. It was designed by Riverside-based Community Works Design Group.

Roger Blaise, the city’s park and land manager, said the plaza, on city-owned property, was designed for visitors to enter from a pathway beginning at a victory column featuring a large American eagle sculpture at the front corner facing Spring Road.

Beyond the column is a granite walkway surrounded by large stones representing a battlefield and tall juniper trees representing soldiers. Red and white rose bushes and orchard trees surround the walkway, which leads into Remembrance Plaza, an area featuring plaques honoring 23 fallen Moorpark soldiers. The plaques were moved from the Moorpark Avenue location to the new site.

Past a grass meadow in the center of the new plaza stands the U.S., California and POW and MIA flags, surrounded by emblems of all the military branches and a continuously flowing water fountain. The site will be lit at night.

As veterans saluted today, the three flags were raised as Moorpark High School band members Tyler and Hunter Van Dam played the national anthem on saxophones.

During the ceremony, Vietnam veteran Pete Duncan, a member of Post 502, thanked city officials for honoring veterans with the new plaza. “I’m deeply moved by its presence here,” said Duncan.

Moorpark Mayor Janice Parvin said the memorial has a personal meaning to her, because her father served in World War II. “We want to always remember how important (veterans) are,” Parvin said during the ceremony.

Joe Catrambone, a past commander of Post 502, said the legion will exchange the flags twice a year. He said he hopes residents will respect the area by keeping it clean.

David Juarez, a Vietnam veteran, came from Oxnard to see the new memorial and pay his respects to other veterans.

“It is a beautiful place. I also like that it is centrally located where everyone can see it and always remember the sacrifices of veterans and especially those who gave their lives to serve this country,” said Juarez.