Author Archives: Jeff Jardine
THIS MONTHS FIRE ABOARD A SHIP IN SAN DIEGO HAS COMPANY: DISASTER ON USS FORRESTAL IN 1967
Earlier this month, a fire burned for five days injuring 63 people aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego. The blaze is under investigation to determine the cause. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) are assisting with the probe, and questions remain as to whether the ship can […]
EH, WHAT’S UP, DOC? THAT WASCALLY WABBIT WHO WENT ON TO BECOME AN HONORARY MARINE
Pardon Bugs Bunny if he gets a bit, well, animated when it comes to being an Honorary United States Marine. After all, fewer than 100 have received the honor, and that wascally wabbit is part of an elite group that includes the late entertainer Bob Hope, movie star and veteran advocate Gary Sinise, and TV […]
CLIENT’S DETERMINATION, DEDICATION TO HER FAMILY DREW AGENT’S RESPECT, ADMIRATION, AND A CALVET HOME LOAN
Nearly two dozen photographs adorn a wall next to Lesa Walker’s desk in CalVet’s Home Loans Division in Sacramento. Each picture is special to Walker, who joined CalVet as an associate property agent in 2014. They are photos of veterans and their families who became clients, but also became her friends, her extended family, her […]
A VERY UN-CIVIL TIME IN CALIFORNIA’S SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
A recent CalVet Connect Post commemorated the 158th anniversary of the day in 1862 when President Lincoln signed into law what became the U.S. military’s Medal of Honor. CalVet’s Medal of Honor Wall and its Medal of Honor Hall at headquarters in Sacramento include three recipients from California who fought in the Civil War. What […]
UPDATE: Sailors Exonerated in the 1944 Port Chicago Explosion that Killed 320 Sailors
UPDATE July 17, 2024 Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro announced the full exoneration of the 258 African American sailors who were court-martialed for refusing to return to work following the July 17, 1944, Port Chicago explosions near Concord. The explosions killed 320 people, injured 400 more, and were felt as far away as Nevada. As […]
TODAY MARKS 158th ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICA’S HIGHEST MILITARY HONOR
At the headquarters of the California Department of Veterans Affairs in Sacramento, the Medal of Honor Wall honors 173 Californians who received the nation’s highest military honor. Plaques honor many of them in the adjacent Medal of Honor Hall as well. “Our admiration and respect for the Californians, and to all others who received the […]
BLANCHFIELD A TRAILBLAZER FOR ALL WOMEN OFFICERS
More than 40,000 women currently serve as officers in the United States military, and they have Florence A. Blanchfield to thank for that. Why? Because 73 years ago today – and shortly after Congress passed the Army-Navy Nurses Act of 1947 she worked so hard to create – Blanchfield became the first permanent woman officer […]
EL SOLDADO
Those who vandalized the El Soldado statue at the State Capitol on July 4 reflected a lack of understanding as to what it represents. The statue, formally known as the California Mexican-American Veterans Memorial, honors Mexican-American soldiers who fought and died during World War II. “This simple monument was built by mothers, daughters, and families […]
THE WAR BEFORE THE WAR: U.S., GERMANS FOUGHT TO CONTROL NORTH ATLANTIC MONTHS AHEAD OF PEARL HARBOR ATTACK
Americans remember December 7, 1941, as the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, killed 2,403 U.S. military personnel, and drew the United States into World War II. It, without a doubt, is one of the most horrific and important dates in our nation’s 244-year history. However, other events reflect a much different and earlier timeline […]
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO NAVY VETERAN MARY TRYBA! THANKS FOR SHARING YOURS WITH THE REST OF THE COUNTRY!
Each year, and for as long as she can remember, Mary Tryba has celebrated her birthday in style. “We sat on the front porch and had cake and ice cream and watched the fireworks,” said Tryba, a Navy veteran and resident of the Veterans Homes of California-Chula Vista. She turns 77 today. Cake, ice cream, […]
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