Los Angeles, CA – On Monday, November 11th, Supervisor Hahn held the inaugural Veterans Day LA event at the newly-renovated Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, joined by LA County veterans, local officials, and community members.
The free event began with a formal ceremony featuring speeches by Supervisor Hahn, Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, Lieutenant General Stayce Harris (the first African-American woman to serve as a Lt. General in the Air Force), and other veterans and local officials. During the ceremony, the Memorial Coliseum’s torch was lit at 11 a.m. to mark the “11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month” when World War I ended in 1918.
The formal ceremony was followed by an all-day veterans resource fair, displays, aerial demonstrations, live performances, sneak previews of upcoming films, food trucks, and more.
“Veterans Day LA is an opportunity for all of us to show our gratitude for our nation’s heroes and recommit to ensuring these men and women can thrive when they return home,” said Supervisor Hahn, the event chair, during her speech. “I am so glad that I have the opportunity to thank every one of our veterans here today. Thank you for your service, your bravery, and your sacrifice.”
“We need to ensure our veterans have access to world class healthcare to treat the wounds of war—both seen and unseen,” said Supervisor Hahn. “We have to connect our veterans to good-paying jobs so they can put their incredible skills to work supporting their families and benefiting their communities. And we need to end this shameful homelessness crisis and say once and for all that we will not allow any veteran in LA County or across this country to sleep on our streets. Today we recommit to honoring our veterans—not just through words but through actions. We will always be indebted to our nation’s veterans. We can never serve our veterans in the same way that they served us. But that is no excuse for not trying.”
Hahn hopes that the event will become a local annual tradition celebrating LA County veterans.
Veterans Day LA was generously sponsored by ABC7, United Airlines, the LA Rams, Lionsgate, and the LA County Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.