Veterans

Friends of Dick Crowley seldom heard him talk about his war service, flying missions with the Army Air Corps as a gunner and radio operator during World War II. Crowley, 73, talked less still about the three months he spent in Nazi prison camps. That was understandable--he was beaten in camp when he would tell his captors nothing, and beaten when he told them lies.

Friends of Dick Crowley seldom heard him talk about his war service, flying missions with the Army Air Corps as a gunner and radio operator during World War II. Crowley, 73, talked less still about the three months he spent in Nazi prison camps. That was understandable--he was beaten in camp when he would tell his captors nothing, and beaten when he told them lies.

A memorial to veterans promised by the city nearly 50 years ago will finally be dedicated today at Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks Park. City Councilman Mike Feuer will join veterans from American Legion Post 193 and their families for a 10 a.m. ceremony at the park at 14201 Huston St. "I hope it makes everyone realize what's been going on with the veterans," said Bob Meyer, an American Legion member who had lobbied for years for the memorial. "Not many people give a hoot about veterans anymore."

Since he suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage eight years ago, World War II veteran Arthur Stein has been completely disabled except for the use of his right arm. When his insurance coverage ran out five years ago, Stein, 68, was admitted to the Nursing Home Care Unit at the federal Department of Veterans Affairs medical complex in West Los Angeles. "When I took him in, my first question was: 'How long can he stay?' " said his wife, Joyce.

A black Army sergeant dishonorably discharged 47 years ago by a white commander who thought he stole $3 worth of bacon, coffee and fruit cocktail stood strong and silent as the action was reversed. "To have the wrong righted after all these years is something that I thank God for," said 75-year-old Carlis Calvin after a ceremony in Ada. President Clinton ordered the discharge reversal.

Over the last 28 years, Frank Norwood had often wondered about the South Vietnamese Army captain he advised during his 1968 combat tour. He assumed that his counterpart, Capt. Le Tan Lao, did not survive the war and perished either on the battlefield or in a Communist prison camp after South Vietnam's defeat in 1975. Earlier this year, Norwood was "shocked" to learn that Lao was alive and living in Minnesota.

With an Academy Award nominee as grand marshal, the 30th annual Laguna Beach Patriots' Day Parade will step off at 11 a.m. Saturday. Producer Greg McGillivray, whose film "The Living Sea" is nominated in the short subjects category this year, will have the seat of honor, said Ann Quilter, a coordinator of the event. Themed "America's Volunteers," the parade will feature bands, drill teams, community groups, antique automobiles and equestrian units.

About 30 veterans and students defiantly recited the Pledge of Allegiance at Saddleback College on Thursday in a low-key protest against a student body leader whose refusal to salute the flag has sparked controversy. "We're not pushing to force anybody to give the Pledge of Allegiance," said 71-year-old George Key, a San Clemente resident and veteran of both World War II and the Korean War.

Violet Cowden can still recall when she was another face in the crowd at Veterans Day observances. Although she had flown fighter planes during World War II, Cowden was among 1,074 female Air Force pilots who were denied recognition of their war service because of their gender. But it was Cowden's turn Monday to regale a small crowd of veterans with war stories when she gave the keynote address during the eighth annual Veterans Day program at El Toro Memorial Park here.

One in every three homeless men seeking refuge at a network of shelters is a military veteran, a survey showed. The figure far exceeds the percentage of veterans in the overall population or of male veterans among all American males. "The scars of Vietnam still are not fully healed for many veterans," said the Rev. Stephen E. Burger, executive director of the International Union of Gospel Missions.