Each year on Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Day, the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce unveils a new plaque honoring a different group of veterans. This year, the chamber will honor all women veterans who have served in the armed forces. The plaque will be dedicated during a special ceremony at the Freedom Monument Veterans Memorial, located at 600 S. McClelland, in front of the Abel Maldonado Youth Center in Santa Maria.
The keynote speaker will be Bob Hatch, president and CEO of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce. Numerous local officials, including Col. David Buck, 30th Space Wing commander at Vandenberg Air Force Base, will be present to pay their respects to the country’s women veterans.
The Freedom Monument Veterans Memorial was built in 2001 through a collaboration between the city of Santa Maria and the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Past Pearl Harbor Day unveilings include the War on Terrorism memorial, the Order of the Purple Heart monument, and plaques honoring people who gave their lives during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
For more information, call the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce at 925-2403.
This article appears in Dec 4-11, 2008.