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Members of Los Soldados de Cuera del Real Presidio de Santa Barbara and a visiting company of United States Dragoons from Fort Tejon State Historic Park held a ceremony yesterday at the Presidio to honor veterans. Photo by Victor Maccharoli.

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Veterans honored during El Presidio ceremony

By ERIC LINDBERG — Nov. 12, 2009

As the bells stopped tolling shortly after 11 a.m. at El Presidio de Santa Barbara, the plaintive notes of a solitary bugler performing “Taps” filled the air.

Dozens stood at silent attention on the packed dirt outside the presidio during a Veterans Day ceremony yesterday to recognize and honor those who served in the United States armed forces.

“Today, we honor the valor of your sacrifice and the legacy of your heroism, which is the freedom we all enjoy,” Rev. Jerome Bellamy said.

Uniform-clad members of Los Soldados de Cuera del Real Presidio de Santa Barbara marched alongside a visiting company of United States Dragoons from Fort Tejon State Historic Park.

After posting the colors and presenting a wreath in recognition of armed services personnel, the costumed soldiers stepped to the side as Sister Christine Bowman, chaplain of the Santa Barbara Navy League, delivered the invocation.

She evoked the sense of gratitude bestowed upon the men and women who served in the armed forces throughout the nation’s history, from the Revolutionary War and World War I to the Vietnam War and present-day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Their stories, your stories, preserve the face of American history,” Bowman said. “Our hearts give thanks as we honor our veterans.”

Dr. Jarrell Jackman, executive director of the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation, offered a bit of history and an explanation for why the memorial event was being held at a Spanish fort.

“The Spanish army and the government of Spain played an important role in the American Revolution,” he said, by providing uniforms, muskets and other war supplies.

Spain eventually declared war against England and helped secure key areas of the United States that helped defeat the British army.

Jackman later recognized three local veterans who served in the armed forces and presented their family members with a commemorative certificate.

Richard Lugo was a World War II veteran and descendant of a presidio soldier in Santa Barbara. He retired after 33 years in the Navy, including 28 months of combat duty in the Pacific theater.

George Obern served as an executive officer on the USS Stewart destroyer, spending time on convoy duty in the North Atlantic. He also served during the Korean War. Obern eventually retired from the Navy Reserve as a commander.

Officials also recognized Russell A. Ruiz, who was an aerial photographer during World War II and photographed many famous war figures.

“He was also the heart and soul of the revival of interest in the Presidio of Santa Barbara,” Jackman said.

In delivering the keynote speech, Rev. Bellamy touched on the string of wars that have occurred since World War I, which had been described as the “war to end all wars.”

Evil continued to emerge in new lands and under new banners, the reverend said, but it has been overwhelmed by what he described as the “light of liberty.”

The United States is a “bright beacon of hope for every person whose heart longs for freedom,” he said, adding, “The price of freedom has been paid by every man and woman who has put on a uniform.”

Following the playing of “Taps” by bugler Howard Hudson, the Fort Tejon Dragoons set about firing a model 1841 howitzer cannon.

The soldiers fired two blanks, sending a plume of smoke blasting across Santa Barbara Street and unleashing a deep boom that shook the ground beneath the presidio.

One of the veterans in attendance, Solvang resident James Mills, described how he enlisted at 17 years old during World War II. He never saw combat, however, as he graduated from gunnery school during the first week in August 1945 — the same week during which U.S. forces dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

The war ended soon thereafter with Mills never serving overseas. He unbuttoned a pocket on his standard-issue 1944 uniform — which still fits his slender figure — and pulled out his final orders deploying him to an airfield in Lincoln, Neb., for final training.

“When you were young and dumb, you thought nothing could happen to you,” Mills said, describing what had prompted him to enlist at a young age. “You just wanted to go in and get the job done.”

Out of recognition of those who did serve overseas and saw combat, the 83-year-old said he doesn’t wear any medals on his uniform, despite receiving a victory medallion when the war ended.

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