Over Presidents Day weekend, the Sons of Liberty Chapter (Los Angeles) of the Sons of the American Revolution celebrated General George Washington’s birthday and the United States armed forces with a Massing of the Colors and salute to the military. The event took place at the Hollywood Hills location of Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries (Glendale) and featured a parade of approximately 70 color and honor guard units from local schools, ROTC units, military branches and historical societies, as well as representatives from all branches of the United States military.

For more than 30 years, this star-spangled event has brought Presidents Day celebrations to the community. The event promotes patriotism and good values, and spotlights Junior ROTC, California Cadet and other programs.

Set amidst sweeping vistas, patriotic statues and re-creations of historic American buildings, this year’s event featured a Warbirds flyby in the missing man formation, as well as artillery and firearm salutes. Soldiers, sailors, Marines and Air Force personnel held the Massing of the Colors, with displays representing their respective service branches. The Blue Eagles Honor Guard from Edwards Air Force Base led the parade and executed ceremonial honors. Color guards in uniform presented a remarkable patriotic image.

The entire parade event lasted approximately one hour and concluded with a patriotic firearms salute via a musket volley. In addition, the California Historical Military Museum displayed historic and contemporary artifacts used by the military in California.

In other news, Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries appointed Temo Celis as its Glendale vice president. Since 1995, Celis has served as a memorial counselor, vault plant supervisor, interment supervisor and crematory manager for Forest Lawn. A licensed cemetery manager and crematory manager, Celis will oversee the daily operations of Forest Lawn – Glendale’s combination mortuary-cemetery, which serves 1,600 families annually.

“Over his 30-year career with Forest Lawn, Temo has been a highly respected, hardworking and incredibly knowledgeable member of our management team,” said Darin Drabing, Forest Lawn president and CEO. “He has demonstrated sincere commitment to his work and to our communities, and we are beyond proud to have him take on this new leadership position in our Glendale park.”
ForestLawn.com