About the Organizers

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The Freedom Committee of Orange County (FCOC) is a nonprofit organization of veterans that brings “living history” to Orange County schools. Members of The Freedom Committee of Orange County are veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East wars. They have witnessed and fought in historical battles such as Pearl Harbor, D-Day, the Tet offensive and some were captured as prisoners of war. These veterans share their personal stories with Orange County students and educate them about key military events in our nation’s recent history to ensure that our troops’ sacrifices to protect our freedom are accurately recounted and remembered.  As the veterans make their presentations to the students, they convey useful lessons about character development that they have learned from their service to our country.

When families in Orange County and Long Beach are planning a funeral, cremation or burial, they often turn to the caring teams at Harbor Lawn-Mt. Olive Memorial Park & Mortuary. The cemetery has been serving the community with compassion and professionalism since the 1950s, with the funeral home added to the property in 1978. Working together, the funeral home and cemetery allow families to conveniently take care of all final arrangements for a loved one.

Harbor Lawn-Mt. Olive Memorial Park is proud and honored to serve veterans. Its Veterans Memorial pays tribute to the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nations, with a brick pathway inscribed with the names of deceased veterans, birth and death dates, and terms of endearment. This section of the cemetery provides a stirring setting for Harbor Lawn-Mt. Olive’s annual Memorial Day ceremony. 

The Stanley W. Ekstrom Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports causes including education, social welfare and military service. The Foundation was created by the late Stanley W. Ekstrom, president of Cardinal Paint & Powder, a philanthropist with an authentic love for people. His powerful respect for his father’s service in WWII has spurred him to donate generously to organizations and associations that provide service or aid to veterans.