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Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation expands the scope of Memorial Day service at Santa Barbara Cemetery Former Navy Lt. John Blankenship, seen with a military jeep outside his home in Montecito, said he and the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation felt it was important to honor both military members and first responders during today’s Memorial Day service. “We felt like we’re all part of the same team. We just wear different uniforms.”
After his four years with the Army, Sgt. Charles Spencer knew he wanted to continue to protect and serve others.
So the Ventura resident joined the Montecito Fire Protection District, where Sgt. Spencer is now Firefighter EMT Spencer.
Different uniform, different rank.
Same dedication.
“It’s going to sound cheesy, but I wanted to help people, and people seem always to be happy when someone shows up in a fire truck,” Firefighter EMT Spencer told the News-Press Friday.
DAVE MASON/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOSCharles Spencer, a firefighter EMT with the Montecito Fire Protection District, is an Army veteran who’s glad both the military and first responders will be honored during today’s Memorial Day service at Santa Barbara Cemetery. Mr. Spencer is standing with fire engines from the Montecito district and the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.“Especially after my time in the military, it seemed like a very natural transition,” said Mr. Spencer, who was stationed with the Army at Fort Drum in New York state. “The brotherhood, camaraderie, senses of humor, work ethic and attitudes are very similar (to the military).”
And like soldiers, sailors and Marines, firefighters and police serve America. For that reason, the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation decided to honor both military members and first responders who sacrificed their lives for their country during this morning’s Memorial Day service at the Santa Barbara Cemetery. The ceremony will start at 11 a.m. at the cemetery, 901 Channel Drive, Montecito.
Attending will be representatives of the Santa Barbara Police Department, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, the California Highway Patrol, the Santa Barbara City Fire Department, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, the Montecito Fire Protection District and the UCSB ROTC.
U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, who served in the Marines, and retired Marine Brigadier Gen. Fred Lopez of Santa Barbara will be the keynote speakers.
Firefighters and police stand with Lt. John Blankenship at his Montecito home.One of the highlights will be a flyover by four T-6 Texan airplanes from the Van Nuys-based Condor Squadron.
They will make four passes above the Santa Barbara Cemetery, and one of the passes will be the missing man formation to represent those who died during their service to America.
The ceremony will also feature the Santa Barbara Choral Society, the Gold Coast Drum and Pipe Band, and singer David Gonzales’ rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
“With all the patriotic music such as ‘America the Beautiful,’ it gives everybody a feeling of being proud to be an American,” said former Navy Lt. John Blankenship, the founder of the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation.
He talked to the News-Press Friday at his Montecito home, which features the foundation’s museum of military uniforms, plane models and other military artifacts. The museum consistently impresses visitors, and on Friday, those visitors included first responders from the Santa Barbara Police Department, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and the Montecito Fire Protection District.
Standing proudly in his Navy uniform, Lt. Blankenship welcomed the first responders and their fire engines from the two fire departments, as well as a Santa Barbara police car, into his large driveway for a photo shoot by the foundation and the News-Press.
Lt. Blankenship said that while Memorial Day has long honored the military, first responders haven’t had a similar day.
“We felt like we’re all part of the same team,” he said. “We just wear different uniforms.”
He noted first responders defend America 24/7 against crime and fires and other disasters. It was poignant that he said that while standing in Montecito, where the community appreciated the service of local fire departments during the 2018 Montecito debris flow.
Including first responders in this morning’s Memorial Day service makes a lot of sense to Firefighter EMT Spencer.
“When you take that oath, you’re saying you’re going to protect and serve,” he told the News-Press. “Everyone knows that might mean getting injured or killed on rare occasions. That level of service is synonymous with the military.”
email: dmason@newspress.com
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