The ceremony will feature a Yellow Ribbon homecoming for the returning Marines, who completed their deployment as part of the Marine Corps’ Unit Deployment Program in a historically significant mission—the first time an entire Reserve infantry battalion has been deployed to Okinawa since 2020.
Historic Convergence of Milestones
Sarah Towne-di Cicco of Pasadena’s Martin Severance Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, calls this convergence “a moment of revelation where I think we need to take advantage of this moment in time.” The chapter, serving Pasadena since 1914, has organized extensive exhibits and activities spanning 250 years of military tradition.
“This is so important because this is the 250th anniversary of the Army, Navy, and Marines this year, and the veterans we honor are part of this 250-year-old tradition of service,” explained Towne-di Cicco, who serves as National Vice Chair Constitution Week Committee, State Chair Commemorative Events Committee, and District 10 Representative for America 250 Committee.
The 2/23 Marines Homecoming
The 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, formally adopted by Pasadena in 2013, includes companies from Pasadena, San Bruno, Seal Beach, Las Vegas, and Port Hueneme, with additional support from Charleston, WV. The battalion deployed to Okinawa after training at March Air Reserve Base and the Mojave Desert in early 2025.
“The support that 2/23 has received from the Pasadena community has been absolutely amazing and a huge part of how we are able to be as successful in all our units’ accomplishments,” said 1st Lt. Cloherty, Battalion Public Affairs Officer. “The support has remained significant while home, off during training, or on deployment.”
Mayor Victor Gordo has emphasized the city’s connection to the battalion, stating, “These are our sons and daughters.”
Honoring Lieutenant Colonel Harvey
Lieutenant Colonel Raymond G. Harvey, whose heroic actions on Hill 1232 in Korea on March 9, 1951, earned him the nation’s highest military honor, will be remembered as a centerpiece of this year’s ceremony. According to his Medal of Honor citation, “When his company was pinned down … Capt. Harvey braved a hail of fire and exploding grenades to advance to the first enemy machine gun nest, killing its crew with grenades. Rushing to the edge of the next emplacement, he killed its crew with carbine fire.”
Harvey received the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman at a White House ceremony on July 5, 1951, just months after his heroic actions. His legacy extends beyond military service—after retiring from the Army, Harvey served as Director of Indian Affairs for Arizona State Emergency Services, continuing his dedication to public service. In 2010, he was posthumously inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame.
Towne-di Cicco describes Harvey’s service as “really intensified service to our country of the very highest order,” emphasizing his actions during World War II and his heroism in Korea. “This is a tremendous legacy and I feel that it’s fitting that this Veterans Day ceremony, this one will remember him especially,” she said, noting how “the personal story of Medal of Honor recipient Lieutenant Colonel Harvey brings us home by his actions during World War ii, certainly his hero and heroism in Korea, that personal testimony of heroic surface, that personal or gift of self or others that is so very compelling.”
Keynote Speaker: Combat Nurse Turned Justice
Associate Justice Eileen Moore of the California Court of Appeal will deliver the keynote address, bringing her unique perspective as a decorated Vietnam combat veteran who served as a registered nurse in the Army Nurse Corps. Moore faced direct combat, gunfire, and assaults while serving in Vietnam before her subsequent promotion to captain in Army hospitals in Germany. Her service earned her the Vietnam Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm.
Since returning from Vietnam, Moore has dedicated herself to supporting veterans through the justice system.
“I think the significance of this award is that the public recognizes that we need to hold out a helping hand to our veterans and military families,” Moore told media when honored for her veterans’ advocacy work. “I’m just a vehicle for the public to show its recognition of our veterans.”
Moore’s experiences in Vietnam continue to shape her advocacy. Reflecting on encountering homeless Vietnam veterans years after her service, she observed, “Perhaps these men had no positive memories of Vietnam, except for the nurses who took care of them. I wondered if maybe they were still looking for us nurses to help them.”
Activities and Exhibits
The Martin Severance Chapter has organized an array of family-friendly activities and educational exhibits that will transform the ceremony venue into a living history experience.
The centerpiece will be a World War I Great War exhibit featuring original recruiting posters from the Army, Navy, and Marines, marking what Towne-di Cicco notes was “the first time the United States Armed Services became known to the wider world.” She explained that for many Europeans, the arrival of American forces “meant the arrival of defense, of the ideas expressed in our Declaration of Independence.”
Children attending the Tuesday ceremony will have multiple opportunities for hands-on learning through a special story presentation about the American flag, where they can discover what it means to be an American and understand the tradition of service to country. Members of the Patriot Sisters will bring history to life in authentic colonial costumes, ready to discuss their roles during the War of Independence with young visitors. The chapter will also provide take-home books on American history, coloring projects, and remembrance bracelets for children to create lasting connections to the day’s significance.
A photo montage honoring veterans interred at Mountain View Cemetery will provide a local connection to military service across generations, while representatives from Wreaths Across America will be present to share information about their December 13 ceremony and offer community members the opportunity to purchase wreaths for veterans’ graves. Attendees will receive handouts detailing Lieutenant Colonel Harvey’s remarkable story alongside information about the historic 250th anniversary of the United States Army, Navy, and Marines.
The ceremony will also feature a Condor Squadron flyover and performance by the Pasadena Scottish Pipes and Drums, with Blair High School JROTC members and Sea Cadets participating throughout the event.
Connecting Generations of Service
“This year is the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, so we organize the welcome home Veterans Day for our Vietnam veterans to remember them and to remind our community of their service,” Towne-di Cicco explained, highlighting the continuum of veteran recognition.
For young people attending, Towne-di Cicco hopes they will “realize if they look to their past, maybe it was their grandfather, their great-grandfather who served, and to ask these questions, to look at family scrapbooks, discover their heritage.” The presence of Blair High School JROTC and Sea Cadets represents “members of our youth who are learning about what it is to be involved in military service.”
Call to Service and Reflection
“What does it call each of us to be? What does it call each of us to do? Answering that call to the best of our ability, what that will do for this country for the next 250 years,” Towne-di Cicco reflected on the ceremony’s broader significance.
“This day isn’t going to come again,” Towne-di Cicco emphasized about the unique historical convergence.
“This freedom is our gift to receive and to give, and it asks of us to give of ourselves in service of our country and to build upon what our veterans have given to each of us so that the promise of the Declaration of Independence is truly lived every day,” she concluded.
The public is invited to attend a special Veterans Day ceremony at Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave., on Tuesday, Nov. 11, beginning at 10 a.m.
Get our daily Pasadena newspaper in your email box. Free.
Get all the latest Pasadena news, more than 10 fresh stories daily, 7 days a week at 7 a.m.
