Rosie the Riveter Park Hosts Annual Wreath
Laying to Honor Our Servicemen & Women
Honoring Our
Fallen, Gold Star Mothers, Sgt. Marsh to be Honored
Long
Beach, CA., November 22, 2013 – Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske
and the Long Beach Rosie the Riveter Foundation will once again participate in the
nationwide Wreaths Across America ceremony by laying wreaths simultaneously in
memory of our fallen heroes and to honor those who serve our country,
simultaneously with thousands of organizations across country. The event will
be hosted at the Rosie the Riveter Park and Interpretive Center for the third
year, at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, December 15th.
“We’ve been participating in this remembrance
ceremony at Rosie the Riveter Park since 2011,” explained Schipske, “sadly this
year, we are also putting up another Hometown Hero Banner to remember the
sacrifice of St. Matthew R. Marsh who lost his life while clearing unexploded
ordnance down at Camp Pendleton.”
Thousands
of Christmas wreaths will be placed simultaneously on the graves of the women
and men who gave their lives in service of our country at Arlington and
nationwide. The wreath laying ceremony
is a project of Wreaths Across America.
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In addition to the wreath laying,
the ceremony will include recognition for the organization Honoring Our Fallen
(HOF), and Gold Star Mothers. HOF founder Laura Herzog started her organization
to assist and comfort the mothers and families of soldiers who have lost their
lives in service to our country. Seven Gold Star Mothers will participate in
the actual laying of the wreaths honoring the seven branches of service.
The ceremony begins at 9 am on
Saturday December 15th at the Rosie the Riveter Park and
Interpretive Center, located at the corner of Clark Avenue and Conant
Street. The ceremony honors servicemen
and women who have died while in service and we will remember the sacrifice of
Long Beach native Sgt. Matthew R. Marsh, who lost his life in an explosion
while clearing unexploded ordnance from the Zulu impact area at Camp Pendleton
on November 13 with the commemoration of a Hometown Hero Banner in
his honor. The banners are part of an ongoing project that honors and remembers
the sacrifice of Long Beach service members who have lost their lives in duty
to our country.
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Pastor Chris Lankford of the Long
Beach Alliance Church will offer a prayer during the ceremony. The High Tide
Quartet, and an Honor Guard from the Long Beach Army National Guard will
participate.
This
ceremony is held in coordination with the annual “Wreaths Across America”
program that lays wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery and 450 other sites
nationwide on December 14th. For more information, call 562-570-6932
or email district5@longbeach.gov.
About the
Long Beach Rosie the Riveter Park and Interpretive Center
The park’s location is just
steps away from where thousands of planes were assembled by thousands of women
during World War II at the Douglas Aircraft plant. The Long Beach Rosie the Riveter Park and Interpretive Center
preserves and represents the contributions of the women who worked at the plant
and on the home front during World War II. The site also honors the great
sacrifices made by those who served as Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) and
in the Armed Forces.
Since the park’s dedication,
the Long Beach Rosie the Riveter Foundation has worked to raise funds for the
historical enhancements that make this park the first of its kind in Long Beach
and only the second park in the United States honoring the women known as Rosie
the Riveter. The Long Beach Rosie the Riveter Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization specifically established to raise funds for this park and
its exhibits.
You can enjoy the 3-acre park
at your own pace. Stop and read the historical timeline etched in the pavers or the signs posted on the 1940s era
street lights. View the colorful tiles
in the pavement that are reproductions of recruitment posters urging women to
take wartime jobs. Listen to the cell phone audio tour and hear directly about
the “Rosie’s ” who worked at Douglas Aircraft or enjoy music from the 1940’s.
Look for the audio tour symbol and phone number on signs throughout the
park. Find your position at the
“compass rose.” Sit and view the military memorial, All Gave Some, Some Gave
All, and surrounding garden and reflect upon the great sacrifice of the men
and women who served our nation.
Visit our website at www.lbrosie.com. You’ll find more information about this
period of Long Beach’s history, including resources for teachers and opportunities for you to donate a commemorative plaque to honor someone
important in your life. We hope you enjoy your visit. Please come back soon.
About the
Hometown Heroes Project
The Long Beach Rosie the
Riveter Foundation and Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske have partnered together to
bring the Hometown Heroes Project to Long Beach. This will be an ongoing project to display banners in and around
the Rosie the Riveter Park to recognize military personnel from Long Beach. To
qualify, honorees must meet the following requirements: Active duty military
personnel of the U.S. Armed Forces AND Current Long Beach Resident; OR
Immediate family member of current Long Beach resident. Please visit www.lbhometownheroes.com to apply and purchase
a banner for a loved one.
Hanging in the park are
banners for each of Long Beach’s fallen heroes. To find out more about each hero, please dial (562) 257-3695 and
press 23 #.
About Wreaths
Across America
This national
project to makes certain that beginning the second Saturday of December,
Christmas wreaths are placed on every grave site of those who served in the
military and are buried at Arlington National Cemetery and 600 other locations. This is now an annual ceremony at the Rosie
the Riveter Park. The wreaths placed in Long Beach have been provided by this
project. For more information, visit www.wreathsaccrossamerica.org