Copyright Los Angeles Times
Huntington Beach on Tuesday was one of several cities around Orange County that celebrated those who have served in the nation’s armed forces on Veterans Day. Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns and American Legion Huntington Beach Post 133 hosted a ceremony on Tuesday morning at Pier Plaza. Later in the afternoon, Huntington Beach Fire Department and Police Department personnel came onshore with dozens of first responders, veterans and active-duty military for OpenWater’s sixth annual Veterans Day Channel Crossing. Forty-three paddlers completed the 33-mile route from Catalina Island to the Huntington Beach Pier, celebrating service, endurance and community. The event also seeks to advance mental health and resilience through shared challenge. “Our participants prove that shared challenge creates shared healing,” said Whitney Erickson, executive director of OpenWater, in a news release. “Supporting this event funds more than an athletic achievement. It builds the infrastructure for long-term resilience and peer-led care across our communities.” Among the paddlers Tuesday was Adam Schneider, a Huntington Beach police officer and U.S. Marine Corps veteran who crossed the channel alongside his father, John. “Each stroke against the water feels like progress,” Schneider said in the release. “The discipline I learned in the Marine Corps, the repetition, the grind, and the never-quit mentality, helps me push through and find peace in the process.” Among other local Veterans Day events was a ceremony hosted by Fountain Valley and West Orange County Veterans of Foreign Wars Post & Auxiliary 9557 held a ceremony at Veterans Park. Also, in Laguna Beach, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5868 and American Legion Post 222 held a ceremony at Monument Point in Heisler Park.
