Poway, Rancho Bernardo to honor veterans on Tuesday

Poway and Rancho Bernardo will be holding Veterans Day ceremonies on Tuesday.

Poway Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7907 is organizing the free community event at the Poway Veterans Memorial across from Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Road.

The ceremony, which starts at 11 a.m., will include a rededication of Poway’s Freedom Bell, which was being repaired following damages incurred over a year ago when its wood platform crumbled, according to Chuck Cross with Poway-Midland Railroad. The bell was reinstalled at the memorial on Oct. 31, this time on a cement platform.

Cross said railroad volunteer Rob Spurr led the restoration effort, which required tracking down parts for the antique bell. The City of Poway paid for the repair costs.

The bell, with a date stamp of 1873, was a gift to Poway from the Jeff and Jer Showgram radio station. It was built at Meneely Foundry in West Troy, New York, the renowned company that built the replacement for the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and bells that rang at the funerals of Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and John Kennedy, according to an article in the Poway News Chieftain.

Tommy Sablan, a former producer for the radio show, said he had bought the bell during a trip to Michigan in 2002 to memorialize the first anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The bell was rung during a seven-hour show held in the then-Qualcomm Stadium parking lot for each name of someone who had died in the attack. Later, the show donated the bell to Poway.

Bill Kimble, commander of the VFW Post 7907, said Tuesday’s ceremony will also mark the 15th anniversary of the Poway Veterans Memorial opening. The guest speaker will be former Poway City Councilmember Jim Cunningham, while the Air Force JROTC Unit at Scripps Ranch High School will serve as the color guard.

During the ceremony, three memorial bricks installed in the park will be unveiled. They honor Robert W. Artigo, who served in the U.S. Army, along with Christopher A. Baker and DJ Chasen, who both served in the U.S. Marine Corps, Kimble said.

After the ceremony, everyone is welcome to attend a free lunch provided by the VFW at its post, 12342 Old Poway Road. The luncheon will start around 11:35 a.m. Kimble said. For details, call 858-748-7907.

The ceremony at the Rancho Bernardo Veterans Memorial in Webb Park will start with a musical prelude at 10:45 a.m. The RB Veterans Memorial Association is organizing the free event.

Webb Park is at 11666 Avena Place. Attendees are advised to bring lawn chairs or blankets for grass seating. For details, visit rbvma.org.

Participants will include VFW and Gen. J.P. Holland Chapter of the Military Order of World Wars members. Joining them will be Scouts BSA Troop 685 and the NJROTC Unit at Westview High School will serve as color guard. Lisa Fiedrichs will serve as master of ceremonies.

The keynote speaker will be retired Navy Capt. Mike Fuqua. The San Diego native was a Navy pilot, receiving his aviator wings in December 1975. His assignments included NAS North Island, Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey and serving aboard the USS Tripoli. He later was assigned to the Navy Annex in Washington, D.C. and the Pentagon.

Upon returning to San Diego, Fuqua was the executive officer and later commander of the legendary Black Knights. The squadron was deployed aboard the USS Constellation. Operations he participated in during his career included Operation Provide Hope in the Somalia area and Operation Desert Fox in the Arabian Gulf.

After being assigned to the National War College in Washington D.C., Fuqua returned to North Island once more where he concluded his career upon retiring from active duty in 1999.

Fuqua is a member of the Rotary Club of Rancho Bernardo and was inducted into the RB Hall of Fame in 2022.