Author Archives: Jeff Jardine
USS Arkansas made her mark in World War II before becoming target in A-bomb testing
On January 14, 1911, the USS Arkansas was the largest U.S. battleship launched from the shipyards in Camden, N.J. The 26,000-ton Wyoming class battleship, commissioned in September 1912, went on to work with the British Brand Fleet before and throughout World War I. The Arkansas then served as a training ship for Naval Academy midshipmen, […]
GI Bill – Introduced in Congress 76 years ago today
On January 10, 1944, Congress introduced the first Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, later known as the GI Bill. Roughly five months later, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed it into law. Today, the GI Bill provides service members, veterans, and their families not only with pathways for obtaining higher education, but also with a basic allowance for […]
CalVet unveils Master Plan for future of Veterans Homes of California
The California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) has completed its Master Plan for the operations of its eight Veterans Homes of California. The 300-page document encompasses years of research, analysis, outreach, and reassessment, along with interviews with Homes residents, employees, community residents, agencies, and other stakeholders. It identifies the future needs of a changing veteran […]
Christmas in the trenches, foxholes, and other far-away places; CalVet’s veterans share their stories
Just five months after he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1950, Joseph Sims found himself at Camp Gordon in Georgia, where he would train to become a radio operator. First, grunt work – along with a serious dose of reality about life in the military – beckoned. “They wouldn’t let us go home […]
They came, they formed, they marched once more to visit residents of Veterans Home of California-Barstow
BARSTOW – They arrived in buses. They formed columns. They marched. For 23 years, soldiers from Fort Irwin have made the 38-mile trip to visit and listen to the stories told by the veterans who live at the Veterans Home of California-Barstow. Their shared meal and experiences at the Home atop the hill drew a […]
National Guard, America’s oldest fighting force, celebrates 383rd birthday December 13
The U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps celebrated their respective 244th birthdays, 28 days apart, in October and November. The U.S. Army was born on June 14 of that same year, 1775. But no American fighting force can match the longevity of the National Guard, which turns 383 years old this week. “The National Guard […]
Army’s 23rd Long Walk to the Barstow Veterans Home carries on tradition that began in 1996
Administrator (acting) Larry Pangilinan will tell you that the residents of Veterans Homes of California-Barstow and the entire town of Barstow will never be safer and more secure than they will be on Thursday. Why? Hundreds of soldiers from Fort Irwin’s 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment – known as the “Blackhorse Regiment“ troopers – will converge […]
Pearl Harbor attack lives on through memories and words of those who live on
On December 7, 1941, 78 years ago Saturday, Japan launched the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor that killed 2,403 military personnel and civilians, and drew the United States into World War II. Each year, we remember Pearl Harbor and those who perished. But with time and attrition taking their collective toll, the number of those […]
Veterans Homes of California-Ventura will fete decade of serving veterans, spouses
Residents and staff of the Veterans Home of California-Ventura (VHC-Ventura) will mark the Home’s first decade with a Founder’s Day celebration on December 4 in Ventura. Then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger dedicated the Home on December 4, 2009, opening the facility and completing a project that was more than a decade in the making. It became the […]
Governor declares November as Native American Heritage Month
CalVet advocates for Native American veterans. Governor Gavin Newsom has proclaimed November as Native American Heritage Month, and the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) sees this as the perfect time to reaffirm its commitment and dedication to the state’s Native American veterans. “We recognize the rich diversity of the Native American peoples and their […]
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