Signal Tribune Newspaper

A one-of-a-kind Veterans memorial was dedicated August 15, 1992 in Long Beach when McDonnell Douglas and United Aerospace Workers paid tribute to the men and women who had worked for them and ultimately died in service to their country. Located at the southeast corner of Carson Street and Lakewood Boulevard, the $500,000 memorial became the first privately funded structure of its type. The ceremony included: speakers from the Air Force, Coast Guard and Army; the First Marine Division band from Camp Pendleton; and color guards from the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard color guards. The monuments were the result of a four-year effort led by Douglas Aircraft Company employee and UAW member John Heaton, who had served as an Air Force B-29 tail gunner during the Korean War.
Despite the figure cited on the memorial, an article in Volume 1, Number 1 of Update, a publication for employees of Douglas Aircraft Company, on Aug. 6, 1990, states that the monument is dedicated to “the 17,000 MDC employees killed during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.”

Designed by Air Force Sgt. and former Douglas employee Kathy Synovec, the memorial consists of the same type of granite used in the Vietnam War memorial in Washington, D.C. and includes four looming, curved blocks which are positioned in a 24-foot-diameter circle, connected by walkways that lead to a fountain in the center.
The commanding black panels feature engraved depictions of campaigns from World War II, Korea and Vietnam, in addition to acknowledging Grenada, Panama and operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Representations of the Purple Heart and the different armed forces insignia also are featured.
Construction on the veterans memorial began on March 18, 1992, and was made possible by contributions from the United Aerospace Workers Local 148, the McDonnell Douglas Foundation, the McDonnell Douglas Employees Community Fund, the McDonnell Douglas Realty Co., UAW Region 6, Bob and Dolores Hope, International Association of Machinists Local 720, Kaiser Aluminum, Leach Corporation, DCI General Contractors, and hundreds of individual donors.