Author Archives: Jeff Jardine
‘… ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND’ GAVE U.S. THE LEAD IN THE SPACE RACE 52 YEARS AGO TODAY
Fifty-two years ago today, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon, crossing the finish line first as the United States beat the Soviet Union in that particular heat of the space race. With over a billion people listening back on Planet Earth, Armstrong uttered the now-famous words, “That’s one small step […]
PASSION, DUTY, AND A LABOR OF LOVE: HELPING VETERANS AT CALVET IS ALL OF THE ABOVE
For those of us who work at the California Department of Veterans Affairs, however, every day is Veterans Day. It is our passion, our duty, and a labor of love to help veterans in all ways within our means. Many who work for CalVet are veterans themselves — veterans serving veterans. You, too, can make […]
HAPPY 245th BIRTHDAY TO ‘US’, AND OTHER STUFF THAT HAPPENED ON OTHER FOURTHS
The United States of America turns 245 years old today — with a healthy dose of Old Glory, bunting and barbecues, parades and picnics, fifes and fireworks. On July 4, 1776, 56 men including John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, and Secretary Charles Thomson signed those fighting words known as the Declaration of Independence. […]
WORLD WAR I BEGAN ON JUNE 28 107 YEARS AGO AND ENDED, OFFICIALLY, EXACTLY FIVE YEARS LATER
Without question, November 11, 1918, became the single most recognized date associated with World War I. On the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour that year, the armistice took effect and the fighting ended. Armistice Day ultimately became Veterans Day in the United States, and is among our most cherished holidays. […]
KOREAN WAR BEGAN 71 YEARS AGO TODAY: FIVE MONTHS LATER, CALIFORNIA’S KURT CHEW-EEN LEE PROVIDED UNIMAGINABLE HEROICS
On a hilltop in Placerville, the El Dorado County Veterans Monument offers a beautiful and fitting tribute to those who served to defend this nation and its Constitution. Some are manifested by name and rank. Others, including Korean War hero and Marine Major Kurt Chew-Een Lee, are honored with plaques that can only begin to […]
AIR FORCE BAND BRINGING LIVE MUSIC BACK TO VENTURA VETERANS HOME
They’ve been spending much of the past 16 months in the wild bored yonder. They’ve been mostly limited to the halls of Ventura. They’ve been anchored away from family and friends. And, they’ve been longing to say “Hi! Hi! Hey” and go upon their merry way. Now, however, with COVID-19 pandemic restrictions finally easing, the […]
JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS FOCUS ON PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE WITH LIVE EVENTS AS STATE REOPENS
The state of California has reopened, and just in time for Juneteenth events that bring a great opportunity for celebration, education, and unity. Juneteenth – combining June and the nineteenth – represents June 19, 1865, the day when 250,000 enslaved people in Texas were told by Major General Gordon Granger that they were now free. […]
JUNE 16: A MAGNETIC DAY FOR EVENTS BUILDING UP TO AND THROUGHOUT THE VIETNAM WAR
Some days can be hugely important and memorable: December 7 (the Pearl Harbor attack, 1941), June 6 (D-Day, 1944), and September 11 (the terrorists attacks in New York and the Pentagon, 2001). Others might be lesser known but important components of a much larger event, and that brings us to today, June 16. While numerous […]
ARMY LAWYER ENDED MCCARTHY’S REIGN OF FEAR, POWER IN 1954 WITH THESE WORDS: ‘HAVE YOU NO SENSE OF DECENCY, SIR?’
In the late 1940s and into the mid-1950s, Senator Joseph R. McCarthy of Wisconsin ran an unsubstantiated and divisive campaign of deceit and distrust that shook the nation to its core. It came to a head 67 years ago this month, when McCarthy accused the United States Army of being infiltrated by communists, and ran […]
D-DAY INVASION PRODUCED 13 MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS, INCLUDING A CALIFORNIAN
The invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, began the final Allied forces’ push across Europe to destroy the Nazi regime and end the war in Europe. That battle alone led to 13 Americans ultimately receiving the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest tribute to bravery in the face of the enemy. Army paratrooper Private […]
