Victor Westerberg

Get ready to honor our Veterans on Friday, November 10th, with a Veterans Day Concert in the Park, Mac & D Duo @ 5pm-6:30pm, Los Amigos 805 @ 7pm-9pm, City Hall Plaza-see flyer online at www.FillmoreGazette.com, and in next week’s Gazette, page 10. On Saturday, November 11th, come enjoy the Veterans Day Parade at 10am, downtown Fillmore, followed by Veterans Ceremony at Fillmore Middle School (guest speaker Dick Diaz-see bio in Nov. 9th edition of Gazette) and BBQ-Veterans/Active Duty eat FREE, community $15/a plate. See Nov. 11th flyer for information online at www.FillmoreGazette.com, and in next week’s Gazette, page 10. Dual Grand Marshals Vic Westerberg (bio below), and Esmael Alonzo, (bio in next week’s Gazette) will lead the parade, sponsored by Fillmore-Piru Veteran’s Memorial District & Lions Club.

Veterans Day Grand

Marshal Victor Westerberg

Victor Westerberg U.S. Army Sergeant E-5 Vietnam 1967-1968 this year’s Veterans Day Parade Grand Marshal on Sat. Nov. 11th, 2023. Victor Westerberg is a lifelong resident of Fillmore and graduated from Fillmore High School in the class of 1965. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in July of 1966. He served his basic training at Fort Ord, CA. He then was ordered to Fort Riley Kansas to serve 9 months of advanced training with the 63rd Armor a part of the Big Red One First Division. Vic was promoted to Specialist 4th Class before leaving Fort Riley. He was then ordered to Vietnam and was assigned to the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (The Blackhorse Regiment) he was assigned to an armored personnel carrier as a gunner on the right side of the track. About halfway through his tour he was promoted to Sergeant E-5 and took over command of an armored personnel carrier Lima-33 and spent the rest of his time as a track commander behind a .50 caliber machine gun. Vic served during the 1968 Tet Offensive. He was awarded six times including the Combat Infantryman Badge and The Bronze Star Medal.
Several years after Vic returned from Vietnam he joined the Fillmore Veterans of Foreign Wars Post. Vic held the position of Jr. Vice Commander for a few years and is currently a post trustee. He has participated in funeral services and Memorial Day Services at both Piru and Bardsdale cemeteries.

Mike Duckett a Memorial Board member at the time saw that the Honor Board in the hallway of the Memorial Building was in need of updating and organizing. Mike asked Vic to help with the project. They used Lance Montee a local contractor to build new panels for the wall.

Then Vic and Mike had the task of organizing the names on the panels. Vic has helped many families to get their loved ones name put on the Wall.

For years Vic has compiled a master list of over 700 names of Veterans from the Fillmore/ Piru and surrounding areas. He was instrumental in getting the names printed on a banner to be put in the Memorial Building.
Vic was born and raised in Fillmore. He and his wife Pat have been married for 45 years and they still live in Fillmore. They have a son, David, and daughter-in-law Cathee. Grandson Kyle and his wife Alicia, and two great grandchildren Amelia and Gunnar.