POW/MIA memorial gets an emotional welcome
MONUMENT: About 1,500 attend the solemn ceremony at Riverside National Cemetery.
By JOE VARGO / The Press-Enterprise
RIVERSIDE - The national memorial to prisoners of war and soldiers listed as missing in action was dedicated Friday at Riverside National Cemetery as a crowd of 1,500 paid tribute with speeches, songs, prayers and tears.
The unveiling of the bronze-and-marble monument by Idyllwild sculptor Lee Millett also included flyovers from vintage planes and F-16 jets. A Vietnam-era Huey helicopter dropped red and white rose petals. An honor guard fired 21 rifle volleys.
During the ceremony, U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, called the monument a "powerful and stirring reminder" of the sacrifice of prisoners and the anguish that still haunts survivors of soldiers whose fate remains unknown. Calvert introduced the legislation into the House of Representatives designating the monument as the nation's official POW/MIA memorial.
A crowd gathered Friday at Riverside National Cemetery for the dedication. The monument, a bronze sculpture of a prisoner on his knees, eyes looking upward, was funded from private sources.
The monument features a bronze sculpture of a prisoner on his knees, his arms bound, eyes looking upward. Millett created the sculpture free of charge. It was finished Friday, so it could be unveiled as part of the annual tribute to prisoners and MIAs.
Funds for the $750,000 memorial came from private sources.
One of the most poignant moments came when Kerry McLaughlin, whose father, Howard McLaughlin, disappeared in World War II, spoke of his efforts to make into flesh and blood a man who remained a mythical figure most of his life.
McLaughlin, 60, of Tucson, Ariz., learned more about his father from Sun City resident Marty Schlocker, who served with the elder McLaughlin during the Battle of the Bulge and saw him killed in action. McLaughlin's remains have never been found.
"There is no cemetery for those listed as missing in action, no grave to lay flowers upon," McLaughlin said. "Now there is a memorial that we can see and feel and touch and let people know that these men existed."
Schlocker was overcome with emotion when he embraced McLaughlin at the end of his remarks.
In ceremonies at the Mission Inn prior to the unveiling at the cemetery, about 125 former prisoners of war, their widows, and family members of soldiers still missing were presented special California medallions. The medallions praised the soldiers for "your honored sacrifice and service" on behalf of a "grateful state and nation."
Palm Desert resident Tom Gibbons called prisoners of war "quintessential combat veterans."
Gibbons, 80, commanded a Sherman tank that smashed down the gates of Stalag Luft 7A on April 29, 1945, freeing thousands of American prisoners, including several who attended Friday's events.
"Every one of them is a patriot," Gibbons said. "Every one is a warrior. Every one is a hero."
The Mission Inn audience applauded the former prisoners as they saluted when receiving their medallions. Marine Cpl. Ralph Ford, a Vietnam veteran from Banning, hugged William Mack and thanked him for his service to America.
Mack, 85, of Calimesa, survived 42 months as a prisoner of Japan. Mack served with the 19th Bomb Group when he was captured while fighting in the Philippines. He suffers from Parkinson's Disease and could not attend the ceremonies at the cemetery.
Gene Davis, 82, of Hemet, said memories of his 11 months and 15 days as a prisoner of the Germans haunted him for decades. Davis served as a tail gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress that was shot down before D-Day in June 1944.
Davis said he was raped several times, lived on potatoes and dandelion soup and survived forced marches, including one that took him into Dachau, the original Nazi concentration camp.
The unveiling of the monument represents the "final recognition of what we went through for our country," said Davis, who is chairman of the Inland Empire Chapter of the American Ex-Prisoners of War.
"Everything is out in the open today," Davis said. "We are now living with our memories instead of having nightmares about them."
But for some survivors the struggles continue. Barbara Birchim's husband, U.S. Army Special Forces Capt. James D. Birchim, has been missing in action since Nov. 5, 1968, when he disappeared on a mission in Laos. Barbara Birchim was 22 when he disappeared, married only two years. She believes her husband was taken prisoner of war.
Birchim, 58, of San Diego, said she wishes people demanded a fuller account of America's missing servicemen and women.
Reach Joe Vargo at (951) 567-2407 or jvargo@pe.com
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