Chatsworth : Donations Sought for War Memorial

They have approval from Metrolink and other appropriate government agencies. Councilman Hal Bernson even supports the idea.

But with Veterans Day approaching, the 80-plus members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9266 have raised only half the money they need to build a simple flagpole and small granite memorial they would like to place at the Chatsworth Metrolink Station.

The station is not scheduled to open until this fall, but Northridge / Chatsworth VFW post members had hoped the memorial could be built before Veterans Day on Nov. 11.

“So far, most of the money that’s come in has been from other VFW posts,” said George Pakkala, post quartermaster.

Members include a former pilot shot down in the Pacific, a sailor wounded in the Solomon Islands and a retired major general who commanded a regiment of the 2nd Infantry in the Korean War.

“Our goal was to raise $10,000 to cover all the costs, but we’ve only got about $5,000,” Pakkala said.

The memorial will not be extravagant. A 40-foot flagstaff will fly the Stars and Stripes.

Next to that will be a 3-by-3-foot granite marker with a bronze plaque bearing a tribute to all American veterans.

The memorial’s purpose is simple, Pakkala said: “It will commemorate the services of American veterans. It will give a focus and understanding of some of the tumultuous years of our nation’s history. And it will make a statement about our community.”

Completing the memorial this year is particularly important since the veterans are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Allied forces’ victory over the Axis powers in World War II.

Any individual or group contributing $100 or more toward the memorial’s construction will receive name recognition on the marker, Pakkala said.

For more information, call Pakkala at (818) 368-1987.