100BMOC Member Doug Wooley, joined local veterans of all generations – from World War II to conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan – gathered on a mound of dirt Wednesday morning, some having to trade a cane for a shovel, to mark the beginning of the project that will tell their stories.
There was a World War II Tuskegee Airman, 96-year-old Robert Friend of Irvine, and a 29-year-old Army veteran, Claudia Acosta of Huntington Beach, a soldier who served in Iraq and Afghanistan for more than a decade.
And Margaret Barker, 98, tiny but mighty in a medallion-covered cap and a disabled veterans vest.
They came to see the groundbreaking for Heroes Hall, a veterans museum on the OC Fairgrounds that will honor veterans from all branches of the military. The roughly $3.8 million state-of-the-art museum is expected to open this year on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.
“It’s a wonderful idea,” said Barker of Garden Grove, a first sergeant in the U.S. Army during World War II. “Anything for the Veterans!”
Over 100 people were there, including Costa Mesa City Council members, donors, county supervisor for the 2nd district Michelle Steel and Senator Janet Nguyen, who represents the 34th district.
Read more here:
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/veterans-708533-museum-war.html
