‘The ranks are falling’

NEWPORT BEACH ? There was only a small group of veterans at the annual Memorial Day ceremony on Friday, fewer than usual. There was also no 21-gun salute this time. The event lasted for barely 30 minutes in front of Newport Harbor High School, and by the time the lunch bell sounded, the crowd had already dispersed and the flag been brought to half-mast.

It wasn’t due to lack of interest, though. One of the veterans who often attended Newport Harbor events in the past had died recently, and a number of his old comrades ? including the ones who usually fired the rifles ? were off at his funeral. At the end of the event, Judy Selling, whose husband was among the five veterans present, glanced around at the scattered men in uniform.

“Every year, there are fewer and fewer veterans,” she said. “The ranks are falling.”

It may have struck a somber note for Memorial Day weekend, but it was also a true one: The generation of men and women who served their country in World War II, among the most decorated in modern history, are fast becoming a dying breed. Within a few years, the message of the Student Political Action Committee’s annual ceremony ? to remember those who risked their lives in combat ? may seem more poignant than ever.

Friday’s event, held in front of the closed Robins Hall on 15th Street, was a farewell of another kind, as it marked the last major project of the current Student Political Action Committee. This year’s group, led by president Laure Kohne, set a new school record for blood drive attendance and started an ambitious campaign to improve traffic safety around the campus.

At 11:30 a.m., Laure, faculty advisor Phil D’Agostino and a group of other action committee members gathered on a stage by the school’s flagpole. An arch of red, white and blue balloons covered the platform. At the base of the flagpole, a plaque showed the names of 37 former Newport Harbor students who gave their lives in battle. Several hundred students packed the lawn and sidewalk under an overcast sky.

“We celebrate Memorial Day so that our military heroes are not forgotten, to ensure that they have not died in vain,” said Laure, 18, a senior who plans to study political science at UC Berkeley this fall. “More than our heroes, our fallen U.S. soldiers have become our teachers.”

George Grupe, a World War II veteran who helped to organize the first Newport Harbor ceremony six years ago, did most of the speaking for his group.

“War is not honored here today,” he told the crowd, gesturing to the names on the flagpole. “Some of our warriors are.”

A moment later, he quoted the philosopher Plato’s words, famously delivered by Gen. Douglas MacArthur in his farewell address: “Only the dead have seen the end of war.”

The ceremony climaxed with a reading of the names of Newport Harbor’s fallen graduates as a veteran stood off to the side and sounded a bell after each one ? all of them famous inside the school years ago ? now embossed permanently on a plaque outside.

“Kent Anderson.”

Clang.

“Bill Brownie.”

Clang.

“Roy Coe.”

Clang.

And on down the list, until upcoming committee president Dailey Wiese read the last name. Afterward, as those present recited the flag salute, the noon bells from Robins Hall began ringing, providing an unintended musical backdrop. Over the condemned structure below, the chimes sounded just like they always had ? part churchlike, part somber, part hopeful.DON LEACH / DAILY PILOTWWII B-17 Commander Harry Selling, left, is introduced as a hero by fellow WWII vet George Grupe of Newport Beach. Ninth-grader Tia Enevoidsen chats with WWII US Army Veteran Dag Larsen before the Memorial Day ceremony.dpt.29-nharbor-1-CPhotoInfo071RE7UP20060529izwr5qncPHOTOS BY DON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)WWII veteran and B-25 pilot Harry Terrell salutes the flag as it is raised to half mast during Memorial Day ceremony at Newport Harbor High. dpt.29-nharbor-2-CPhotoInfo071RE7UR20060529izwr62ncdpt.29-nharbor-3-B.1PhotoInfo071REDLU20060529j007c8nc