Road rage results

This makeshift memorial is for a driver that was involved in an episode of road rage. According to a neighbor, the car came down Alameda Street, it crashed into a parked car, flipped over, and came to rest after striking this block and iron fence. He didn't know if the driver was the victim or perpetrator.

I remember a cartoon we watched in driver's training in high school starring Walt Disney's Goofy. As a pedestrian, Goofy was mild-mannered and congenial. But once he got behind the wheel of a car, he became incensed with power. He alone had the right of way and every other driver and pedestrian needed to get out of his way or suffer the consequences.

Do you see this out on the road?

In memory of...

Downey Daily has been posting about painted electrical boxes ever since we spotted the first one by the city library, but I only recently learned more about the program. According to former Downey mayor Mario Guerra, the city implemented the program to paint and beautify the various power boxes throughout the city and later extended it to let organizations, non-profits, and even families sponsor a box.

This box is the second of three boxes sponsored by the Guerra family. It honors fallen Downey Police Officer and Marine Ricky Galvez, who was killed in 2015.

Elaine's garden revisited

About three years ago, I wrote about this garden, created by Dave Lopez in memory of his wife Elaine. In those three years, the roses have flourished, to the point that the abundance of white made me stop this week for a closer look.

It has grown into a beautiful and peaceful place.

Dispelling the darkness

The news is full of senseless tragedies these days. The number of deaths in Paris a week ago are truly appalling. But sometimes the magnitude of the numbers make us forget that each number boils down to the loss of a single life. Whether it is one or 130, each death represents a single family in grief.

Such is the death this week of Downey Police Department Officer Ricky Galvez, 29 years old, who was shot and killed Wednesday night in a botched robbery attempt. His family, friends, coworkers, and many others gathered together Thursday afternoon and evening to share their grief. Many brought flowers. And many stayed for a candelight ceremony after darkness fell.

"Yes, Beauty will overcome. This too we know intuitively and so we bring flowers to express that longing, to cover the evil stain, to visually remind ourselves and others that Good remains alive. All will be made right … in time."
"Instinctively we seek the light and its warmth. Darkness-piercing candles remind us there is hope. In lighting them our souls are pleading for the Light of Heaven to dispel the darkness. Both now and forever."
~ Barbara Rainey

Memorials

A memorial can honor one person, or many. At its simplest, a memorial might be just a headstone in a cemetery, such as the ones we've shown from the Downey Cemetery. Or, as in the wall above, it can honor the 1,102 seamen who died in the USS Arizona on December 7, 1941. This wall is part of the USS Arizona Memorial, which sits just above the sunken ship.

"The Arizona is no longer in commission, but is an active U.S. military cemetery. As survivors of the attack on the Arizona pass away, many choose to have their ashes either scattered in the water over the ship, or have their urns placed within the structure of the ship reserved for the purpose. As a special tribute to the ship and her lost crew, the United States flag flies from the flagpole, which is attached to the severed mainmast of the sunken battleship." (Wikipedia)

For the sacrifice

This memorial sun dial sits in front of the Downey Civic Theater, dedicated to the Downey men who sacrificed their lives in Vietnam.  If you look on the inside of the circle, there are the men's names. In doing a little research, it appears that the fountain just to the side of the sun dial is also part of the memorial.

"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." 
~ CK Chesterton

Soul Consoling Tower

Before I head back home, one last post from Manzanar. Here is an excerpt from one of the displays:
"Manzanar changed substantially between the day it opened in March 1942 and the day it closed in November 1945. Internees transformed the landscape with ponds and gardens. Families welcomed babies and mourned deaths. Schools educated students, internal security helped prevent crime, and the fire department extinguished fires. In its first anniversary issue, the Manzanar Free Press published an anonymous poem about the complexity of life at Manzanar:
    "Out of smiles and curses, of tears and cries, forlorn;
    Mixed with broken laughter, forced because they must...
    Out on the desert's bosom—a new town is born."

The film and the displays at the visitor center show this new town. There are old photos showing how the internees created beauty out of nothing. There were gardens everywhere, both for food and for beauty. (The internees grew much of their own food.) But almost nothing of the original buildings and gardens is left—the only thing still standing (that is, not reconstructed) is the cemetery.

Also from the displays:
"The Japanese Kanji characters read 'Soul Consoling Tower.' Master stonemason Ryozo Kado, a Catholic, and Buddhist minister Shinjo Nagatomi designed this iconic monument as a permanent tribute to Manzanar's dead. Kado built the obelisk with the assistance of Block 9 residents and a young Buddhists' group, funded by 15-cent donations from each family in camp."

There are only six graves left in the cemetery, because most families of the deceased, after they got resettled, came back and moved the remains of their loved ones for reburial elsewhere.

Manzanar War Relocation Center

Fear. It's a powerful emotion that can protect us from danger, or sometimes just provoke irrational actions. Today, I visited the Manzanar National Historic Site north of Lone Pine (about 4 hours north of Downey), to see an example of what fear can do.

After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, fear swept the nation. This information from one of the displays at Manzanar describes what happened next: "In 1942, the United States government ordered over 110,000 men, women, and children to leave their homes and detained them in remote, military-style camps. Two-thirds of them were born in America. Not one was convicted of espionage or sabotage. For 10,000 of them, Manzanar would be their new home."

It was a home that was suffocatingly hot in the summer, and bone-numbingly cold in the winter. It was a home with an amazing view of the majestic Mt. Whitney, but it was a view from behind the barbed wire that kept them there.

We will never forget

Today is the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy of the terrorist attack on the United States. Americans across the country remembered the anniversary in various ways. Here in Downey, among other things, we flew our flags at half mast. This one is at city hall.

This one is at the Los Angeles County Office of Education.

Getting out of the car

I took a walk through a different area of town this week. It's not that I'm not on these streets—I am all the time. But I'm usually driving, not walking. And this walk reminded me of how much we miss when the only view we have is from our car.

First, it looks like the Marketplace Grill is getting an updated paint job. Have you ever taped your windows in preparation for painting? Imagine instead that you have to cover up all the letters in "the Marketplace Grill & Cafe." Tedious!

Further down the street, I came across this sidewalk memorial. There was no discernible clue as to who died or what happened. But someone cared enough to create this little shrine.

And finally, in one of the nearby alleys, there was this evidence of basketball games long ago, before the ivy nearly covered up the hoop.

I'm glad I took the time to explore on foot!

In memory of...follow-up

Last Friday, I showed you the garden and children's playground that was being created in memory of Elaine Lopez. Today, you can see the final result. You can tell by the big smiles that the kids are enjoying their new play area.


The work was finished just in time for the dedication ceremony on Sunday.


But the work was completed on time only because a group of dedicated workers worked through this weekend's downpours.

In memory of...

A couple of weeks ago, my friends and I noticed some construction work going on at Messiah Lutheran Church. We watched as the project progressed and took shape. Then last week, I happened to chat with a man parked nearby. "You like it?" he asked. I replied that I did, and asked him for more details.

His name is Dave Lopez. This is going to be a garden and a children's playground. He donated the entire project to the church in memory of his wife Elaine Lopez, who passed away about six months ago. The finished project will be dedicated this Sunday.

Elaine Lopez sounds like a very special person. (You can read about her in this article from the Downey Patriot.) Even though I never met her, I will think of her, and her husband's gift, whenever I pass by.

Never forget

Do you remember where you were that September day. I remember going into the family room to watch the morning news and being shown the first tower on fire. I thought, "What a terrible accident." Then I watched as the second plane flew directly into the second tower. I thought, "That was no accident" and my pity turned into anger. Then as the towers collapsed it turned into grief as I thought about all those people instantly dying.

This house's owner has created a scene to help us remember that even in the midst of an enemy attack, freedom still stands.

“The attacks of September 11th were intended to break our spirit. Instead we have emerged stronger and more unified. We feel renewed devotion to the principles of political, economic, and religious freedom, the rule of law and respect for human life. We are more determined than ever to live our lives in freedom.”
~Rudolph Giuliani

Thank you for your sacrifice

Today is the 69th anniversary of the Allied invasion of France known as "D" Day. I celebrated it by remembering and thanking my dad for his participation in the liberation of Europe. We recently visited Omaha Beach memorial in France. This picture shows flags of the different countries that participated in the "D" Day landing.

"You are about to embark upon the great crusade toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you...I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle." General Dwight D. Eisenhower D-Day Quote



Downey recently unveiled a veteran's memorial near city hall. You can read about it here

Twenty nine years ago, President Reagan gave a speech to commemorate the 40th anniversary of "D" Day. Youtube has the entire speech here. It is a good reminder that when duty calls, some people fight the instinct of self preservation and instead fight evil.



We also celebrate our current servicemen by displaying their names and service branch along several streets in Downey.

Les Braves

With Memorial Day less than a week away, I seemed appropriate to use a couple of my pictures from France. While in Normandy, we visited Omaha Beach - one of the D-Day landing sights. On the now peaceful beach stands a sculpture by Anilore Banon, dedicated to honor the courage of the sons, husbands, and fathers who endangered and sacrificed their lives in hopes of freeing the French people.

There are three elements to the memorial:
1. The Wings of Hope - so that the spirit which carried these men on 6th June 1944, continues to inspire us, reminding us that together it is always possible to change the future.
2. Rise of Freedom - So that the example of those who rose up against barbarity, helps us remain standing strong against all forms of inhumanity.
3. The Wings of Fraternity - So that the surge of brotherhood always reminds of our responsibility towards others as well as ourselves.
On 6th June 1944, these men were more than soldiers, they were our brothers.

Never forget!

Today is the 11th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. As I was driving around town looking for some kind of memorial, I saw Jim Fuller on his bike. Jim remembered Sept. 11th, 2001.

I remember that morning. Watching the planes hit the World Trade Center building towers was surreal. It was shocking to watch, I struggled to comprehend what was happening. It was a day I don't think I will ever forget (and I watched from the relative comfort of my home).

The memorial in DC is open. Americans from all over the country can visit and honor the thousands of innocent men, women and children who lost their lives 11 years ago. Reading about the memorial made me think of President Lincoln's speech at Gettysburg after the devastating battle that settled the Civil War.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Citizen soldiers

Walking the base...

This weekend I am out of Downey spending a little time with my daughter. She is in the Army National Guard, visiting Vandenberg Airforce Base.

Vandenberg is only a couple of hours north of Downey up the coast. While I was wandering around the base, I noticed a monument to the Korean war veterans in 1950, thanking the citizen soldiers of the 40th infantry division for their great determination, courage, and honor. It got our attention because the 40th is the same division out of Los Alamitos that my daughter is attached to for her service. It is a small world.