Handy Park has been dyed with a sea of red, white and blue as more than 1,700 flags have been placed to create the Field of Valor, honoring those who have fought and are still fighting for the country’s freedoms.
This is the second annual Field of Valor event, held by the Community Foundation of Orange. Susie Cunningham, executive director of the foundation, said it wasn’t certain if last year’s event would take off at all, but a powerful community response enabled this year’s event to be much more ambitious.
The main draw is the same as last year: 1,776 American flags lining the park. Each flag represents either a veteran or an active service member with a tag telling a bit about the person. These provided tags can be as detailed as listing out medals and commendations won in Vietnam, or as simple as remembering that a grandparent served in the Navy during World War II.
Another highlight returning from last year is the Faces of Freedom Project, started by Orange County photographer Jon Haverstick, who takes free portraits of veterans.
New additions to this year’s event include a partnership with A Million Thanks. Started by Orange native Shauna Fleming, an alumna of Orange Lutheran and Chapman University, A Million Thanks sends postcards and letters of thanks to veterans – despite its name, the group is up to about 7 million thank-yous. Attendees to the Field of Valor will have a chance to send a postcard of their own to thank a veteran.
The Field of Valor will be on display through the closing ceremonies at 4:30 p.m. Friday, with special guests from the Orange County chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution coming in full regalia.
Support for the event from the community has been overwhelming, Cunningham said. This year, groups from all around the city and county have been pitching in to make Field of Valor bigger and better than last year. Local high schools sent out football and lacrosse players to pound out rebar and help set up, while members of Orange Rotary, the Assistance League and others have been giving their time to make sure things stay running smoothly
Seeing such a warm reception and the community coming together to help is especially meaningful, Cunningham said, because the simple act of showing you care can make all the difference for veterans.
“This event is so important for all of the service members who have never been thanked,” Cunningham said. “When they walk out on the field, it’s not just a field of valor, it’s a field of feeling. Veterans from Vietnam who came last year would stand there and cry, because they didn’t feel like anyone had ever recognized them before.”
For one veteran, last year’s display represented gratitude long overdue. Cpl. Stanley Debski, 73, of Orange, served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. He was part of the helicopter squadron that flew into the hot zone to pick up Col. Roger Donlon, the nation’s first Medal of Honor recipient from Vietnam.
Upon returning home, Debski said he went more than a decade without being able to open up about what he went through. Seeing people go out of their way to show appreciation for veterans makes a world of difference, he said.
“For the Vietnam guys, this was way past due. When we came back, people would look at us and call us names and anything else they could think of. There was no recognition of being over there,” Debski said. “This really made a big difference. It’s nice and reassuring – it shows the veterans that the people here are behind them.”
