Author Archives: Jeff Jardine
WITH CALVET’S HELP, SIKH SOLDIER FINDS NATIONAL GUARD RELIGIOUSLY ACCOMMODATING
When Kanwarpreet Singh came to the United States from India four years ago, he knew he wanted to serve his new country. Military service, he said, is important to members of the Sikh faith no matter where they live. However, he would need some help to join any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and […]
VETERANS DAY IN THE BOOKS? AT CALVET, EVERY DAY IS A NEW PAGE WHEN IT COMES TO SERVING THEM
The parades and picnics are over. Speeches made and proclamations read. The American flags that lined the streets throughout the country and California are neatly folded, stored until the next national holiday. Veterans Day – America’s annual day of thanking veterans for defending this country and the freedoms our Constitution guarantees – is in the […]
CALVET’S VENTURA HOME ADMINISTRATOR BOND HONORED BY CALPERS WITH SPOTLIGHT ON EXCELLENCE AWARD
Julian Bond, administrator of CalVet’s Veterans Homes of California-Ventura, received the 2022 Spotlight on Excellence Award by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS). The annual award emphasizes the importance of public sector work. It is peer nominated, giving employees of CalPERS contracting agencies the chance to highlight those in their own agencies who go […]
GO AHEAD, MAKE MY VETERANS DAY: WHEN FORT ORD WAS A SPRINGBOARD TO HOLLYWOOD
From World War I through the first Gulf War, Fort Ord was a U.S. Army base known for producing soldiers. Today, it is home to CalVet’s California Central Coast Veterans Cemetery and also to Cal State University-Monterey Bay, among other things. For a few years in the early 1950s, however, the outpost on the Monterey […]
CALVET’S VETERANS DAY POSTER DEFINES OUR MISSION AND PURPOSE
As a nation, we rely upon our armed forces to protect and defend the Constitution and the rights and freedoms it guarantees. Our servicemembers risk their lives for the reward of maintaining our democracy; even putting this solemn duty ahead of their own wellbeing, families, and loved ones. Yet, over the decades, veterans have had […]
A FLEETING LOOK AT THE ‘GHOST SHIPS’ THAT ONCE DOMINATED SUISUN BAY
With Halloween upon us, CalVet is seeing ghosts again – or at least imagining them. In October 2020, CalVet Connect introduced you to the spooky emanations residing in the bowels of the haunted USS Hornet, an aircraft carrier docked in Alameda. This time, it’s the so-called “Ghost Fleet” that once dominated Suisun Bay near Benicia […]
NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH: GRAB YOUR SEAT AT THE TABLE
With National Hispanic Heritage Month winding down, Aimee Pila-Bravo has some advice for other Hispanics, Latinos and Latinas looking to make a difference: “Be a mentor,” said the 34-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran, currently a member of the Air Force Reserve and director of the Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative (LAVC). “Volunteer. Give back to the […]
CELEBRATING NATIVE AMERICAN DAY AT CAPITOL TODAY, AND EVERY DAY AT VENTURA VETERANS HOME
Today, hundreds of Native Americans representing many tribes and nations throughout California will converge on the State Capitol’s West Lawn to celebrate their heritage, cultures, and contributions. What began under Governor Culbert Olsen as “Indian Day” in 1939, became “California Indian Day” under Governor Ronald Reagan in 1968, is now “California Native American Day.” It […]
U.S. AIR FORCE CELEBRATES 75 YEARS OF FLYING SOLO IN THE WILD BLUE YONDER
Happy 75th birthday to the United States Air Force! The Air Force became its own branch of the U.S. military after President Truman signed the National Security Act on September 18, 1947. Aviation had been part of the U.S. military since the Civil War, and Allies relied on aircraft throughout both World Wars. The Navy […]
FRESNO VETERANS HOME EMPLOYEE PUTS HER EMERGENCY TRAINING TO USE AT CRASH SCENE IN JUNE
One afternoon late in June, Cheryl Cardoza noticed a plume of dust rising above the road as she drove along Avenue 12 in Madera County. She was headed home from running some errands on her first day of vacation. Dust in the summer generally suggests that farmers are working in the almond, peach, or pistachio […]
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