Veterans honored during inaugural Westminster Day of Service

The Nov. 5 “Day of Service Honoring Those Who Served” in Westminster honored four areas veterans from as far back as World War II.

The event featured a community clean-up of Hoover Street followed by a recognition ceremony aimed at showing respect for the American streets veterans fought to protect during their overseas service in the armed forces. About 60 people cleaned up a two-and-a-half mile stretch of Hoover, removing debris and trash.

Afterward, Westminster Councilman Sergio Contreras honored Westminster residents and veterans Andy Timko (U.S. Army, Vietnam War), B.J. Savage (U.S. Marine Corps, Korean War), Gabriel Sanchez (U.S. Marine Corps, Operation Iraq Freedom) and 97-year-old James Harold Goble (U.S. Army, World War II, prisoner of war, Purple Heart, France’s Legion of Honor award).

The ceremony was followed by a barbecue funded by Contreras to reward attendees.

“I wanted to bring the community together in a day of service to honor those who have served our country,” Contreras said. “This way, we can show respect for the homeland that these brave men and women risked their lives to protect. Our veterans deserve the best and today we get to show them our respect for their contributions.”

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Twitter: @KathleenLuppi