The city of Santa Clarita hosted its 18th annual Veterans Day Ceremony to honor local veterans, those currently serving in the military and their families on Monday morning at a packed Veterans Historical Plaza in Old Town Newhall.
Santa Clarita Mayor Cameron Smyth and City Council members spoke at the event, stating that those who served and continue to serve in the United States military have sacrificed to safeguard the values, the way of life and the freedoms that all Americans enjoy.
“Veterans Day serves as a powerful reminder of the enduring respect and gratitude we hold for all those who step forward to protect the freedoms that we all enjoy and hold dear here in this country,” Smyth said in his opening remarks. “Our veterans and active-duty military are the backbone of our community, and it is essential to recognize that without their courage, dedication, steadfast determination, the United States of America as we know it would not exist.”
Mayor Pro Tem Bill Miranda, a U.S. Air Force veteran, spoke of his military roots, opening with words from former President Ronald Reagan about American freedom.
‘“The only way they (our children) can inherit freedom — the freedom we have known — is if we fight for it, if we protect it, if we defend it, and then hand it to them with the well-fought lessons of how they, in their lifetime, must do the same,’” Miranda quoted Reagan. ‘“And if you don’t do this, then you and I may well spend our sunset years telling our children and our grandchildren what it once was like when American men and women were free.’”…