Thursday, November 12, 2009 – By WeHo News Staff, West Hollywood
West Hollywood, California (November 12, 2009) – (Video of the event below article) Yesterday the City of West Hollywood recognized the contributions of all veterans in a Veterans’ Day ceremony, and at the same time honoring those of a singular WeHo vet, by the renaming of Sal Guarriello Veterans’ Memorial Park in honor of the late council member who envisioned it.
Jeffrey Prang speaking at the 2009 West Hollywood Veterans’ Day Ceremony. Photo by WeHo News.
The ceremony kicked off with a flyover by four Black Hawk helicopters at 11 a.m. at Veteran’s Memorial, located at the intersection of Holloway Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard.
As the Black Hawks circled and buzzed the occasion, oohs, ahhs and clapping ensued.
The City’s Veterans Day Ceremony is held to honor members of the Armed Forces, with a large contingent of WWII Soviet Army vets attending this and the city’s Memorial Day events.
A special dedication will take place and Veteran’s Memorial Holloway Park will be renamed after the late Councilman Sal Guarriello.
The California State Honor Guard presented colors with a honorary 9-gun salute and a flag folding ceremony. Photo by WeHo News.
In City Manager Paul Arevalo’s comments, he noted how Mr. Guarriello fought hard to create the dedication to veterans because of his own experience as a medic in WWII.
Council member Jeffrey Prang, made a few comments recognizing the late council member as an “ordinary man who did extraordinary things”
Noting that Mr. Guarriello was initially trained as a sniper, but heard instead the call to become a medic. Serving in Anzio, one of the hardest fought battles of the Italian campaign, Mr. Guarriello took shrapnel wounds as he returned to the battlefield to save another soldier’s life.
“First elected to council in 1990… he initiated the War Memorial task force in 1998,” said Mr. Prang. “The West Hollywood Veterans Memorial was unveiled on November 11, 2003.”
A WeHo News photo of Sal Guarriello at last year’s Veteran’s Day commemoration was framed by West Hollywood Picture Framing and presented at the renaming ceremony. Photo by WeHo News.
After Mr. Guarriello’s passing in April, the City council determined that “we would rename the memorial in honor of his long service to the community,” he said.
Speaker after speaker praised Mr. Guarriello’s life, recalling the integrity and courage he showed at every turn.
All four members of the West Hollywood City Council and Mayor Abbe Land (in absentia) honored Mr. Guarriello, as did LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky (3rd District) and Assembly member Mike Feuer, (42nd Assembly District).
Marine Corporal Terrence P. Pallend made a keynote address before the presentation of colors by the California State Honor Guard, including a honorary gun salute and a flag folding ceremony, which can be seen in its entirety below.
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