'So we would not be forgotten': Camp Hamilton to host Veterans Day tree-planting
Nov. 10—Retired Master Gunnery Sgt. Glenn Denton said the story behind the Veterans Day tree planting at Camp Hamilton Veterans Memorial Park for the families of seven deceased veterans can trace its roots back decades earlier.
Denton, who founded the facility as a place to honor the sacrifices of veterans and also a space where they could gather and remember their fallen brothers and sisters, served in Vietnam in Golf Company, 1st Marine Division, 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment.
During a particular vicious battle in the Hiep Duc province in August 1969, he and several of his fellow soldiers made a pact:
"A bunch of U.S. Marines made a commitment that any of us who survived, we wouldn't let the others be forgotten. And this is the result of my commitment to that," Denton said.
"There were eight of us, and we were going up to retrieve four Marine bodies who had been killed the night before. ... Everybody got at least wounded, and most of the guys died," he added.
"So this thing is not anything to glorify any one of us — it was just a commitment so that we would not be forgotten."
Denton ended up staying in the Marine Corps for 30 years, and while he was a recruiter in Bakersfield in 1978, he purchased the land that would ultimately become the 10-acre park that's now known as Camp Hamilton.
And generations later, the space is still used for remembrance and appreciated locally.
What started with one "lean-to" building in 1982 on what was then known as "The Property," has continued to evolve and grow thanks to support from active-duty service members as well as veterans and community volunteers, Denton said.
On Thursday, the facility offered meals to "Marines and their friends" to recognize the 247th birthday of the military branch, and Friday will offer a much more somber occasion.
"We're going to plant seven trees — we have someone who was killed in action, we have someone who is missing in action and we also have people who passed away after a long life," said Jennifer Scott, vice president of the board that runs the volunteer-led facility and also its historian.
Scott, an English teacher at Compton Junior High, said she was following in the footsteps of her father, Chief Hospital Corpsman Lon Chaney, who was previously historian for the organization after 31 years of service in the military.
"He loved talking with people, always invited people to visit and when he passed away, I wanted to do something special for him," Scott said, which was why she created a searchable map on the Camp Hamilton website that marks the GPS location of each of the memorial trees that have a plaque, as well.
Including Friday's planting, there are now 357 trees at the park, honoring the lives of veterans from all over. Friday's planting is scheduled to start at 2 p.m.
All are welcome to the Veterans Day ceremony, Denton said, which will include a meal.
The organization does not charge for anything, he added, and gratefully accepts donations of time and resources.
"It takes a lot of work to keep it up. We live off of donations and what we take out of our own pockets," Denton said. "So we never turn down a donation, but we never charge for anything."
For more information about Camp Hamilton, visit camphamilton.org.
