Vets’ special salute

Cynics who think kids today have no interest in war stories ought to meet Christiana Crabbe.

“We’re honoring all the soldiers that fought for us so we can be free,” Crabbe said. “If we didn’t learn about all the people that fought for us, we might not know what to do when we’re older and something happens to us.”

The eighth-grade Mariner’s Christian School student read her award-winning essay, “Reflections on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” Friday to about 60 veterans and hundreds of parents, students and others at a Veterans Day assembly at the Costa Mesa school.

“Standing there on the cool marble floor at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, I was humbled. I felt insignificant and almost small,” she wrote. “All of my achievements and even my prized essay seemed unimportant in contrast to this moment.”

Important guests included Warren Hutchens, a WWII veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor. The other veterans at Friday’s assembly served in various wars including Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War and the Iraq War.

Art Barlow, who served in the Air Force for 27 years and did tours of duty in Korea and Vietnam, appreciated the salute.

“It’s a great time to remember all the things you did in the service,” Barlow said. “This is great. This is really super. This is something that is all too rare.”

For a photo gallery of the event, click here.

Editor’s note: Following is an essay Christiana Crabbe, an eighth-grade student at Mariners Christian School in Costa Mesa, wrote:

“Reflections on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier”

Standing there on the cool marble floor at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, I was humbled. I felt insignificant and almost small. All of my achievements and even my prized essay seemed unimportant in contrast to this moment. Because we were at the tomb, I expected to feel solemn and mournful. Instead, I was overcome by a strange feeling of peace. Seas of tomb stones surrounded me, stilling my soul. The gravity of the moment was astounding. A bright, crisp autumn morning revealed the fallen golden leaves. The Tomb was meticulously groomed and stood like a beacon of untainted honor.

As I stood on the third step, I remembered how my grandpa George was a yeoman in the captain’s office in World War II on an aircraft carrier called the USS Suwannee. By the grace of God, he left his office to buy a pack of gum and while on the other side of the ship, a kamikaze crashed where he stood just a few minutes earlier. One hundred and sixty-one men died during those two days on October 25 and 26 in 1945. In the public’s eyes, these men have no special ceremony or tribute aside from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Other than the annual ceremony that their shipmates hold each year, most of these men are no longer remembered. The brave men who died at the time were only in their late teens and early twenties. My Grandpa went on after the war to have a wife and fourteen children, one of whom is my mom. The soldiers on that ship gave up their whole lives, knowing that they might not have the chance to be married or have children like my grandfather did. These are the men the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier honors.

When I rested my hands on the fragrant, flowered wreath, I felt like those men finally received at least a small fraction of the honor they deserved. Though the ceremony lasted just a few moments, I will never forget to honor those who died so that we can be free.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at [email protected].