5

Mountain View News Saturday, May 24, 2025

NUMEROUS REASONS TO HONOR OUR VETERANS

TOM PURCELL


More than 43 million 
Americans 
have served or are 
currently serving 
their country — 
and more than 1.3 
million gave the 
ultimate sacrifice.

According to the 
U.S. Census Bureau, 
there are 
approximately 
15.8 million U.S. 
veterans living today 
— about 6.1 percent of the adult population. 
Roughly half are age 65 or older and nearly 2 million 
are under 35.

Our older veterans served in World War II, Korea, 
and Vietnam. The younger veterans primarily 
served in Iraq and Afghanistan after the 9/11 
attacks.

World War II veterans are dying at a rapid pace. 
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs, fewer than 100,000 are still living, down 
from 16 million who served.

Of the 5.7 million Americans who served in the 
Korean War, approximately 767,000 are still alive. 
My father, who served during the Korean War, left 
us nearly three years ago at the age of 89.

As for Vietnam, around 5.6 million of the 8.7 million 
Americans who served in that war are still 
living.

To round out the numbers, more than 8.4 million 
veterans have served during the Gulf War 
era, which spans from 1990 to the present. Additionally, 
approximately 4.4 million served during 
peacetime.

Some living veterans served across multiple war 
periods. Nearly 63,000 served during the Vietnam 
War and both Gulf War eras — from August 1990 
through August 2001 and again from September 
2001 onward.

More impressively, nearly 37,000 living veterans 
served in World War II, the Korean War, and the 
Vietnam War.

Many Americans confuse Memorial Day with 
Veterans Day. While Veterans Day honors all who 
have served — living or dead — Memorial Day is 
specifically for those who died in service.

It began after the Civil War as “Decoration Day,” a 
time to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers. Today, 
it’s a day of national mourning, and rightly so.

To date, more than 1.3 million Americans have 
died in military service. About 4,500 died during 
the American Revolution. In the Civil War, 
around 370,000 Union soldiers and an estimated 
260,000 Confederate soldiers lost their lives.

We lost 116,516 in World War I and nearly 405,000 
in World War II. The Korean War claimed 36,574 
lives; the Vietnam War, 58,220.

Modern warfare has led to fewer battlefield deaths 
— a silver lining of improved medical care and 
technology.

Of the Americans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, 
more than 7,000 died. Nearly 50,000 
were wounded and many still suffering from their 
injuries.

Many of today’s veterans face challenges well beyond 
the battlefield. Many struggle with PTSD, 
physical injuries, job placement and endless 
health challenges.

In any event, each veteran who gave the ultimate 
sacrifice represents a life cut short — young men 
and women who never came home, never started 
a family, never got to see the freedoms they died 
to protect.

Their families carry that loss forever. Their sacrifice 
is not just national — it’s heartbreakingly 
personal.

Yes, the purpose of Memorial Day is to honor the 
men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice 
for their country.

While we kick off this summer, let’s take some 
time to remember, thank and honor them for 
their service.

While we do so, let’s also pay homage to all of the 
many men and women who have served, or are 
serving, our country.

ANNOUNCES 2025 GRANT AWARDS TOTALING MORE THAN $200,000

Sierra Madre Library Included With Recipients

PASADENA, Calif. (May 21, 2025) – The Pasadena Tournament of 
Roses® Foundation is proud to announce its 2025 grant awards, totaling 
more than $200,000, to 21 organizations in the San Gabriel Valley. 
These grants will support new and ongoing programs benefiting 
children, teens, adults and seniors.

The Foundation’s 2024 Golf Classic presented by J.P. Morgan Chase & 
Co. was a resounding success, raising more than $100,000 in net proceeds. 
This year, we are proud to welcome five new organizations to 
receive grant support that have not previously been awarded a grant 
from the Tournament of Roses Foundation.

 In 1983, the Foundation was created to receive and manage contributions 
from the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, its members, 
donors, friends of the Foundation, sponsors and public supporters. 
The Association and the Tournament of Roses Foundation are 
focused on positively impacting the Pasadena community through 
charitable giving, volunteerism and community involvement.

Since its inception, the Foundation has funded more than $5 million 
in charitable contributions on behalf of the Tournament of Roses 
Association, to invest in people through sustainable programs. This 
year, one $35,000 grant and one $20,000 grant were awarded, in addition 
to 19 other community initiatives that received grants of up to 
$10,000.

$35,000 grant – The Sierra Madre Library inspires lifelong learning 
by providing access to information, programs and resources that enrich 
the community. The Sierra Madre Library will add a dedicated 
teen room for the first time as part of a major state-funded renovation. 
This inclusive space will feature academic resources, games, furniture and technology to promote connection, support learning and serve the evolving needs of the community’s youth.

 $20,000 grant – Founded in 1990, Partnership for Success (PFS) is a collaboration between Pasadena schools—Chandler, Mayfield Junior, Polytechnic, Westridge—and the Pasadena 
Unified School District (PUSD). This summer academic enrichment program helps close achievement gaps for economically disadvantaged PUSD students. Spanning nine consecutive 
summers, it begins after fourth grade and continues through the summer after high school graduation, serving about 400 students annually. By leveraging partner school resources and 
expertise, PFS delivers a high-quality educational experience at no cost, removing financial barriers to academic and personal growth.

 The Foundation grants are divided into three categories: Education (Early Childhood Learning, STEAM/STEM, Literacy), Sports and Recreation, and Visual and Performing Arts. These 
broad categories allow the Foundation to contribute to our local communities’ civic, cultural and educational advancement.

Below is a complete list of the 2025 Tournament of Roses Foundation grant recipients and their respective funding categories. Brief descriptions of the organizations and the programs that 
will benefit from the grants are available on the Tournament of Roses website: https://tournamentofroses.com/2025-grant-awards/


SIERRA MADRE FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY ZONES UPDATE By Kevin McGuire


SM Fire Chief Brent Bartlett presented an 
updated report on the Fire Hazard Severity 
Zones (FHSZ) during the City Council 
meeting on Tuesday, May 13. 

The City Council received and filed the report 
issued by CAL FIRE and directed city 
staff to assess local implications related to 
zoning, building codes, defensible space requirements, 
and public education. The community 
can expect public outreach regarding 
these updated hazard classifi-cations within 
the Local Responsibility Areas (LRAs) to 
prepare for the implementation of updat-ed 
maps. 

The new maps will incorporate new climate 
science and wildfire modeling, according 
to the re-port. State laws require the city to 
adopt these updated maps. City staff aims to 
outline the next steps in response to the ever-
changing wildfire hazard landscape. 

According to the report, under Public Resources 
Code §4202 and Government Code 
§51178, CAL FIRE is mandated to classify 
lands within LRAs into three fire hazard 
zones: Moderate, High, and Very High. The 
2025 update integrates advanced fire behavior 
modeling, which accounts for wind patterns, 
ember transport, and recent climate 
data (2003–2018). 

Before the updated maps, Sierra Madre only 
listed the High severity zones. The maps 
don’t show short-term wildfire risks such as 
Red Flag conditions; they only reflect long-
term hazard conditions, according to Chief 
Bartlett. Local authorities are allowed to increase, 
but never de-crease, the fire severity 
warnings. 

This is the first time the maps for LRAs have 
changed since 2011. In addition to Red representing 
the Very High risk, Orange has 
been added for High, and Yellow for Moderate 
risk. As a result, some residents were 
removed from the Very High risk to either 
the High or Moderate zones. 

Key considerations include: 

• Model Enhancements: Incorporation of 
50-year wildfire behavior projections using 
local wind and ember data. 

• Zoning Impacts: Properties within High 
and Very High zones will be subject to 
Chapter 7A of the California Building Code 
(Wildland Urban Interface standards) and 
natural hazard disclosure requirements during 
real estate transactions. 

• Public Tools: Residents can access zone-
specific data using CAL FIRE’s online FHSZ 
Map Viewer. • Urban Edge Dynamics: Proximity 
to wildland areas may rapidly alter 
zone boundaries, even between visually similar 
neighborhoods. 

• Collaboration and Support: CAL FIRE will 
provide technical assistance to local agencies 
and is committed to hazard alignment without 
stifling development. 

• Insurance Caveats: The hazard-based mapping 
system differs from the risk models 
used by in-surers, although similar data inputs 
may overlap. 

Local implications may include updates to 
safety elements in the General Plan, revisions 
to de-velopment review processes, 
and expanded public outreach on defensible 
space and home hardening strategies. Subsequent 
Council meetings are scheduled to 
consider formal adoption of the maps. Dates 
are as follows: 

• May 27, 2025 – Public Hearing: Fire Hazard 
Severity Zone Map Adoption (1st Reading) 

• June 10, 2025 – Consent: Fire Hazard Severity 
Zone Map Adoption (2nd Reading).

As part of the Strategic Plan Correlation, the 
Fire Department, in collaboration with the 
Public Works Department, has completed 
the annual brush-clearing events for 2025 to 
reduce wildfire risk and enhance community 
safety. 

The Fire Department also hosted a "Home 
Hardening" presentation to educate residents 
on strategies to protect their homes 
from wildfire damage. This 
initiative will continue on 
an annu-al basis. There will 
also be information listed 
on the city’s social media 
sites, and town hall meetings 
will be announced. 

The Fire Department also 
sent out a survey to the 
community, which elicited 
some excellent feedback, 
according to Chief Bartlett. 
The survey revealed that 
most residents are aware 
of the fire zone to which 
their properties belong. 
The biggest concerns were 
increased insurance rates, 
development impacts, and 
the accuracy of the maps. 
Ninety-four percent of 
those sur-veyed support 
the use of science-based 
data to contribute to the 
development of these new 
map models. 

Chief Bartlett is encouraging 
residents to join the 
Fire Safe Council, which 
is seeking non-profit status, 
to allow funding to be 
made available. According 
to the Sierra Madre 
Community Emer-gency 
Response Team (CERT) 
website, the Sierra Madre 
Fire Safe Council is a community-based organization 
that shares the objective of making 
California's communities less vulnerable 
to catastrophic wildfires. Fire safe councils 
accomplish this objective through education 
pro-grams and projects such as shaded fuel 
breaks or firebreaks to protect area residents 
against an oncoming wildfire and to provide 
firefighters with a place to fight the oncoming 
fire.

In addition, there is the FireWise USA® program, 
which encourages FireWise Communities 
to “band together” to reduce the risk 
of wildfires. This program is the Neighborhood 
Watch for wildfire danger. As a result 
of neighborhoods becoming FireWise Communities, 
residents may be eligible for discounts 
and rebates on their insurance. There 
is an application process, and you can download 
their toolkit and learn more at www.
nfpa.org/education-and-research/wildfire/
firewise-usa. 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com