From The Front Page - Lakewood Honors Veterans At 11am Today

[Jim O'Bryan]

Too many forget the Lakewood Observer front page...

Lakewood To Honor Veterans On November 11 At Lakewood Park

Mayor Michael P. Summers and the Lakewood Veterans Advisory Committee will host the City of Lakewood’s Veterans Day Ceremony on Friday, November 11, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. in Lakewood Park, 14532 Lake Avenue. Lakewood’s annual Veterans Day observance is a tribute to the men and women who served our country in the armed forces.

Lakewood’s Veterans Day program will begin with the Presentation of Colors followed by the singing of the National Anthem by The Four Vet Quartet.

This year’s keynote speaker is Captain Stephen H. Torpey. Captain Torpey is currently assigned as the Chief of Response for the Ninth Coast Guard District in Cleveland, OH. He is primarily charged with the management of all law enforcement, search and rescue, pollution response, operational communications, and intelligence programs within the Great Lakes region. He was previously assigned as the Executive Officer and Operations Officer at Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod where he managed 350 active duty and civilian personnel along with four HU-25 jet aircraft and four MH-60 helicopters. Prior to that, Captain Torpey was the Aviation Program Manager within the Office of Aviation Forces at Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington D.C. He managed the Coast Guard’s aviation budget, billet assignments, and facilities in support of 200 aircraft, the planning and integration of new aircraft and equipment including Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), and the development of aircrew training and aviation survival programs. Operational tours include Air Station Clearwater, Aviation Training Center Mobile as an H-60 Standardization Instructor, Air Station Sitka, and Air Station San Francisco. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for a rescue in Alaska and was listed as the 1999 Aircrew of the Year by the Naval Helicopter Association and the Association of Naval Aviation. Captain Torpey is a graduate of University of Massachusetts with a Bachelor’s in Science in Mechanical Engineering and has a master’s degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix.

Other highlights of this year’s program include performances by the Lakewood High School Band, The Four Vet Quartet and a 21-gun salute by the Joint Veterans Honor Guard.

The Veterans Day Ceremony is free and open to the public. Following the ceremony, coffee and doughnuts will be offered in the Woman’s Club Pavilion at Lakewood Park.