Pasadena Veterans Day Celebration To Feature Vietnam War Volunteer And Flyover

PASADENA, CA — Pasadena will honor military veterans with the city's annual Veterans Day Celebration on Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave., officials announced Wednesday.

Hosted by the city's Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department in partnership with the Pasadena Veterans Day Planning Committee, the event will feature a keynote address by Vietnam War-era American Red Cross volunteer Sandra Rhoten, a Condor Squadron flyover at 11:11 a.m., free hot dogs, interactive exhibits and activities for all ages.

This year's celebration will recognize the 250th anniversary of American independence and the legacy of the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps. The program will honor generations of service members and the women who supported them throughout the nation's history.

Rhoten served in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970 with the American Red Cross Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas program. She was among 627 women selected to support service members in combat zones. Known as "Donut Dollies," the volunteers traveled by helicopter to locations near combat areas to provide recreational activities and boost troop morale. Rhoten later coordinated programs with the U.S. Army in Germany from 1972 to 1975.

Veterans Day Planning Committee Chair Sarah Towne-di Cicco, honorary chapter regent of the Martin Severance Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, will lead the program.

The event is supported by Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena Management Association, American Legion Posts 13 and 280, Vietnam Veterans of America 446SGV and the Martin Severance Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.