Author Archives: Jeff Jardine
BROTHERS IN ARMS, BROTHERS IN PARADISE: REBUILDING FROM THE CAMP FIRE DEVASTATION
On the morning of November 8, 2018, as Shane Murray drove from his new home in Paradise to work in Oroville, he looked into his rear-view mirror and saw a plume of smoke billowing against an otherwise azure sky. By the time he told his boss he needed to return home to evacuate – that […]
ASIAN AMERICAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH: CAMPAIGN TO HONOR CHINESE AMERICAN WORLD WAR II VETS WITH CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL CONTINUES
During an 18-month stretch of World War II, three brothers of a Chinese American family from Los Angeles all joined the United States Military. Herbert Tom went into the U.S. Army in January 1943, serving in the Army Air Corps’ 9th Air Force in Europe until after the war’s end. The eldest brother, George W. […]
MEMORIAL DAY TOOK SOME INNOVATION, TECHNOLOGY TO COMMEMORATE HOLIDAY IN VETERANS HOMES DURING COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS
If necessity is, indeed, the mother of all invention, and desperate times require desperate measures, then add this new adage to the mix: COVID-19 demands innovation and imagination to maintain our traditions. Indeed, Zoom feeds replace crowded graduation ceremonies. Well-wishers now drive by to offer socially distanced birthday greetings to the recipient out on his […]
COVID-19 WILL MAKE ITS MARK ON MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONIES AT CALVET’S VETERANS CEMETERIES THIS YEAR
For many years – up to and including 2019 – Napa County Boy Scouts placed a flag at each of the gravestones in the cemetery at the Veterans Homes of California-Yountville for Memorial Day in honor of those buried there. That will not happen this year, though. Nor will Memorial Day traditions at the other […]
SHIELDING VETERANS AND STAFF AT VETERANS HOMES OF CALIFORNIA GETS A BOOST FROM PPE-MAKING MODESTO JUNIOR COLLEGE GROUP
Staff members at the eight Veterans Homes of California have spent the past three months trying to keep the coronavirus COVID-19 out of the Homes. Most personal protective equipment (PPE) has been available when it comes to gloves, gowns, and masks, including masks made by big-hearted co-workers and volunteers at the various Homes. But, two […]
ONCE-TROUBLED ARMY VETERAN IN STOCKTON BECOMES CALVET’S LATEST HOME LOAN SUCCESS STORY
Just over two weeks ago, U.S. Army veteran Ludovico Anthony Calabro signed the final escrow papers and received the keys to his new home in Stockton. It marked an emotional moment for the 68-year-old Army veteran, whose life story is one of tribulations and redemptions, of demons and Deity, of patience and perseverance. For CalVet […]
WEST LA FEELING THE LOVE AND GIVING IT, TOO, AS COVID-19 CHANGES THE WAY WE CELEBRATE
Back in March, CalVet closed its eight Veterans Homes of California (VHC) to visitors in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19. Everyone involved knew this would be tough on the veteran residents, their families, and on staff members. Which is why, on Sunday, staff and supporters of the VHC-West LA will […]
DOING GOOD OFTEN INVOLVES A CHAIN REACTION OF KINDNESS, AS YOUNTVILLE HOME AND OTHERS ARE EXPERIENCING
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, stories of people doing great things for and within the Veterans Homes of California have boosted the morale of the veterans and residents, and of the staff members who care from them. Some have volunteered their time, skills, and materials to make protective equipment. Professional athletes have offered video pep talks. […]
COVID-19 CAN’T STOP ELKS FROM DOING GOOD FOR RESIDENTS AT VETERANS HOME IN FRESNO
As they have done over the past several years, members of Fresno Elks Lodge 439 planned to host a St. Patrick’s Day party for residents of the Veterans Homes of California-Fresno. They invited the veterans and their spouses to the Lodge for a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner in March. Then, just nine days […]
BUTTONS HELP TO BUTTON DOWN YOUNTVILLE VETERANS HOME FROM COVID-19
In early March, with the coronavirus COVID-19’s pandemic trespass into the United States well under way, the administrator of Veterans Home of California-Yountville (VHC-Yountville), Lisa Peake met with groups of the employees. She wanted to address their fears, and to tell them how vital they are to the existence of the Home and its veterans. […]
