The City of Palmdale Healing & Honor Field 2020, a colorful display of American flags honoring heroes featured at Pelona Vista Park, 37720 Tierra Subida Ave. in Palmdale, will host an opening ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 2 pm. COVID-19 protocols, including face coverings and social distancing will be enforced.
The ceremony emcee will be Dennis Anderson, a licensed clinical social worker at High Desert Medical Group who served as an Army paratrooper. The program will include remarks from Palmdale City Manager J.J. Murphy, welcoming of dignitaries by Palmdale Mayor Steve Hofbauer, presentation of colors by the Edwards Air Force Base Blue Eagles Color Guard, the National Anthem by Leo Meza, Pledge of Allegiance by Vice President of American Legion Dave Corbin, and an invocation by Chaplin Fred Villa of VFW Post 3000. Remarks will be made by Battalion Chief Los Angeles County Fire Department Chris Siok, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Palmdale Station Captain Ronald Shaffer, Palmdale Regional Medical Center CEO Dick Allen, Palmdale Auto Mall Association’s Gus Camacho, 21st District State Senator Scott Wilk and 36th District Assemblyman Tom Lackey. The featured speaker will be 25th District Congressman Mike Garcia.
The Palmdale Healing & Honor Field will be open 24 hours daily, concluding at 5 pm on November 11. An information booth will be staffed each day from 9 am to 5 pm. The City’s annual Veterans Day Ceremony will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 11 am.
Presented by the Palmdale Auto Mall Association and the City of Palmdale, the Palmdale Healing & Honor Field will feature 2,020 flags on 7½ foot tall poles in ordered rows. The flags are available for purchase to honor a veteran or member of the military, law enforcement, fire/EMS, or any medical personnel. A tag with the name of the person being honored will be placed on each flag. On Nov. 11 at the conclusion of the Veterans Day Ceremony, flag purchasers may pick up their flag to keep or present to the person they honored. Flags may be picked up immediately following the Veterans Day Ceremony on Nov. 11 until 5 pm when the field officially closes. Flags may also be picked up on Nov. 17, 18 and 19 at the Palmdale Playhouse Box Office, located at 38334 10th St. East, from 9 am to 5 pm.
Flags are $30 each and may be purchased online at www.CityofPalmdale.org/HealingField. All proceeds from the flag sales will benefit local veterans groups including Vets 4 Veterans, Coffee 4 Vets, Point Man Antelope Valley, American Legion 348, and VFW 3000.
For more information, please visit www.CityofPalmdale.org/HealingField.