Author Archives: Jeff Jardine
REDDING HOME’S CUPID CREW OFFERING HEARTFELT VALENTINE’S DAY WISHES TO OTHER SENIORS
A card. A message. A gift of friendship. It doesn’t matter that it will go to a total stranger. To the members of the Cupid Crew at the Veterans Home of California-Redding, giving bits of their time and selves to someone who might have no one is satisfying, even if they never get to know […]
RESURRECTED NEWSLETTER GOES ‘VIRAL’ AT BARSTOW VETERANS HOME
Like so many of the other veterans and residents living in CalVet’s eight Veterans Homes of California, the folks at the Barstow Home found the pandemic and its safety protocols to be, well, restricting. It meant spending lots of time in their rooms, unable to visit with family and friends because the Homes were in […]
‘RUPTURED DUCK’ HONORABLE DISCHARGE PINS FINDING LAPELS IN CALVET’S VETERANS HOMES
A few weeks ago, the Veterans Home of California-Ventura received a phone call from Lou Zayas, junior commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart chapter in Georgia. Zayas wanted to know the number of World War II veterans living at the Ventura Home. He wanted to send each one a “Ruptured Duck” lapel […]
USO CELEBRATES 81 YEARS OF ENTERTAINING TROOPS, BRINGING HOPE, AND BOOSTING MORALE
Eighty-one years ago today, at the behest of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, six social service organizations joined forces to create the United Service Organizations, or USO. With America’s entry into World War II still 10 months away. Those organizations—the Salvation Army, Young Men’s Christian Association, Young Women’s Christian Association, National Catholic Community Services, National Travelers […]
CALVET HONORS STATE’S ONLY BLACK MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT FROM VIETNAM WAR
As we enter Black History Month, CalVet pays homage to Pvt. 1st Class James Anderson Jr., California’s only Black Medal of Honor recipient from the Vietnam War. His memory graces the Medal of Honor Wall at CalVet headquarters in Sacramento. Born January 22, 1947, in Los Angeles, Anderson graduated from Compton’s Centennial High School in […]
SIGNED 49 YEARS AGO TODAY, PARIS PEACE ACCORDS BEGAN THE AMERICAN EXIT FROM VIETNAM
On January 27, 1973, representatives from the United States, South Vietnam, and North Vietnam signed the documents known as the Paris Peace Accords, which spelled out the U.S.’s exit from South Vietnam to end the war. By that time, the U.S. had been involved in Vietnam for 18 years, beginning with military advisers in 1955. […]
CALVET WEBINAR TO FOCUS ON EDUCATING VETERANS SERVICE PROVIDERS IN OUTREACH TO NATIVE AMERICAN VETERANS IN CALIFORNIA
Last December, the Yurok Tribal Council declared a state of emergency, due to the high number of missing persons and attempted human trafficking incidents that have occurred in Humboldt County. CalVet’s Minority and Underrepresented Veterans Division will host a webinar to expand awareness of this emergency and convene a panel of experts to inform veteran […]
KING’S CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT INVOLVED MANY TRIPS TO CALIFORNIA
As we commemorate what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 93rd birthday (albeit January 15), his image forever remains etched in American history. From his “I have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, to leading the civil rights protest march to Selma, Alabama, in 1965, to his voice resonating in […]
NEW LAWS ON THE BOOKS TO BENEFIT CALIFORNIA VETERANS, FAMILIES
Some new California laws will offer the state’s 1.6 million veterans more of what they need in life and also what they might want afterward. More veterans can now obtain a CalVet Home loan at lower, more competitive interest rates. Disabled veterans’ estates will have an easier time securing local property tax exemptions. And finally, […]
HOW A MISTAKEN HOTLINE CALL IN THE COLD WAR ERA PUT SANTA CLAUS ON GOVERNMENT’S RADAR
Throughout today, tonight, and into early Christmas morning, children will want to know just how close the Jolly Old Red delivery guy – Santa Claus – really is to landing his sleigh and eight tiny reindeer on their rooftops. With visions of Star Wars Grogu Mandalorian plush toys and Marvel Avengers Action Figure sets dancing […]
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