by Laura Garber
Former U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Dr. Leo Rodriguez, a Hermosa Beach resident, was the keynote speaker at the 31st anniversary of Hermosa’s Veterans Day Memorial on Monday.
Amid a misty morning, veterans and their families arrived at the Veterans Memorial on the east side of the Hermosa Beach Community Center to the ongoing prelude concert by the Palos Verdes Symphonic Band.
Dr. Rodriguez’s military service began 10 days out of high school and lasted 25 years, 14 of those years on active duty. With a career span including deployments in trauma centers in Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf, Dr. Rodriguez and his team treated more than 1,400 wounded soldiers. He is now an emergency physician at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance.
Among Dr. Rodriguez’s expressions of gratitude for veterans, the former lieutenant commander was adamant about thanking Army Sergeant Russell Bell of Tyler, Texas, who was killed in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 2012. During a previous incident, Dr. Rodriguez’s medical team sought to send Bell home after his team encountered an improvised explosive device and their unit was blown up. Bell, despite the recommendation, decided to continue his unwavering leadership on the front lines.
“[Bell] was a leader of extraordinary strength and heart who made everyone around him better,” Dr. Rodriguez said. “On this Veterans Day, I want to say his name out loud so it echoes beyond this gathering. We honor him and all those like him whose courage continues to guide us well after they’re gone.”
Dr. Rodriguez’s family was among the crowd, including his son, Mateo, 17, and his two-year-old daughter, Olivia. He recognized the sacrifice his children and other military families made for the country.
“But service doesn’t end with those who wear the uniform. There are no medals or rank for families, The families who sacrifice and wait at home, who live every deployment through worry, hope and faith,” he said as tears formed in his eyes. “Is it misty out here?”
He recalled the early years when his son Mateo was just four years old and how their Skype calls, although highly pixelated, were a moment of connection.
“As soon as he confirmed that I was okay by making eye-to-eye contact with me through that screen, he would immediately turn his back, turn his back away like any four-year-old child, because that was the only way he knew how to show me that he was mad at me. He was upset. He was hurt,” Dr. Rodriguez recalled. “I remember hanging up more than a few times and just thinking about it quietly, about how young he was to be carrying such weight for someone his age. Now he’s 17 years old, and I want to take a moment to thank him. Thank you, Mateo, for being brave when I couldn’t be there. Thank you. You carried more than a child should have to carry, and you did it with courage. You’re part of my service story. You served, too, and I hope you know how proud I am of you.”
Dr. Rodriguez closed his remarks by reminding the crowd that freedom was not a given, it was paid for by men and women like First Sergeant Russell Bell.
“So on this Veterans Day, let us celebrate not only the courage of those who have served, but also the hope that they inspire.”
Councilmember and retired U.S. Army Colonel Ray Jackson gave the ceremony’s opening remarks and led the crowd in thanking each military branch as veterans stood up to be recognized.
Redondo Union High School’s Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (MCJROTC) gave a Presentation of Colors, Diane Plaster sang the National Anthem and Hermosa Beach Women’s Club president Mindy Ligos recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
Mayor Rob Saemann thanked the veterans and asked the community to reflect on the word “commitment” during the 31st anniversary of Hermosa’s Veterans Day Memorial.
“Commitment is a promise to suit up and show up,” Saemann said. “To serve, regardless of the cause.”
The mayor encouraged the community to make commitment efforts every day for veterans and their families “by listening to them, standing with them, and ensuring they never walk alone.” He continued, “It could be something very simple: a smile, a handshake, a conversation.”
Dr. Rodriguez shared that his involvement with the Hermosa Beach Veterans Memorial Committee began after he spoke during public comment at a Hermosa Beach City Council meeting, where he mentioned briefly that he was a veteran. Soon after, he was recruited by Steve Crecy and Mike Flaherty of the committee to volunteer.
Crecy and Flaherty, both Vietnam veterans, were part of the small team in 1992 that designed and raised funds for the memorial sundial with the inscription “Veterans Are Timeless,” implemented in 1994. Both men, alongside Dr. Rodriguez, continue to volunteer every first Saturday of the month for memorial maintenance.
Jackson closed the ceremony by inviting members of the military to the front podium, where he identified the oldest military veteran at 95 years old, Vaughn Sarkisian. Scouts from Troop 860 passed out Hermosa Beach camouflage hats as thanks from the City. ER
