Category CalVet Team

CalVet logo, text "Veterans Serving Veterans," and image of smiling man.

Air Force Veteran Brings Security and More to State’s Oldest Veterans Home

After the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began more than two decades ago, newspapers and local television stations loved covering stories about servicemembers who returned home to surprise their kids at school. They still do. Those heartwarming moments of reunion and joy can soften the hearts of even the most war-hardened folks. B.G. Sick, now […]

CalVet Home Loans logo and woman standing outside a house.

First Time Buyer in Awe with CalVet Home Loans Team to the Letter

Another satisfied veteran, another CalVet Home Loans success story. Frequently, CalVet Home Loan agents receive “thank-you” notes, flowers, or letters from veterans whom they’ve helped achieve the dream of homeownership. This one, from U.S. Navy veteran Stephanie Barker of Sacramento, to CalVet Property Agent Adam Cone and his team that includes home loans processor Jamie […]

CalVet logo, text "Veterans Serving Veterans," and man standing near sign reading "Veterans Home of Fresno, 2811 West California Avenue.

Oorah! Marine Veteran Brings Calming Conversation to Fresno Home

It happens frequently when Samuel Tejeda strolls through the Veterans Home of California-Fresno. “One resident … every time he sees me, he yells ‘Oorah!’” said Tejeda. “He’ll see me in the hallway and yell it, and I’ll yell it back.” After all, that is the Marine battle cry or greeting, and once a Marine, always […]

CalVet logo, text "Veterans Serving Veterans," and woman outside on park bench with small American flag in background.

WAC Vet Answered the Nation’s Call, Now Answers Veterans’ Questions at CalVet

One day during the early months of 2018, soon after she hired on as the office technician in CalVet’s Communications Division, U.S. Women’s Army Corps veteran Yulana Low handled a telephone call she will never forget. “The older brother of a young veteran couldn’t get over his brother’s death,” she said. “I believe he was […]

CalVet logo, text "Veterans Serving Veterans," and man standing outside Veterans Home.

Navy, Army Guard Veteran Will Soon End A Storied Career at Yountville Home

Of the CalVet employees we’ve featured thus far in our Veterans Serving Veterans series, Jeffrey Thirnbeck exemplifies that day-to-day dedication as much as any. He’s worked for the past 31 years as a custodian at the Veterans Home of California-Yountville, including at Holderman Hospital, where he ensures the facility is clean and safe for the […]

CalVet logo, text "Veterans Helping Veterans," and photo of woman.

From One Family to Another: Kinship During Deployment Set Stage for Veteran’s Future

Liz Hargrove-Washington’s world changed in an instant during the winter of 1996. As a young staff sergeant in the Air Force stationed at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, and the young mother of a baby girl, she received orders to deploy to Saudi Arabia. “It was one of the most challenging, difficult times of […]

CalVet logo and text "Veterans Serving Veterans" with image of servicemember in Army uniform standing next to man.

Helping Other Veterans Comes up Roses for Nurse at Barstow Home

As a licensed vocational nurse (LVN) at the Veterans Home of California-Barstow, U.S. Army veteran Kimberly Malott has a passion for caring for the Home’s veteran residents and their spouses. She also has a passion for passing out roses—at the behest of a veteran resident who routinely bought them for the women at the Home. […]

CalVet logo with text "Veterans Serving Veterans" and image of male Army soldier in dress uniform.

Different Wars, Similar Stories of Service and Coming Home

After 17 years in the U.S. Army, Juan Griffin left with many stories to tell about his deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. There is no one he enjoys swapping stories with more, than the veterans who live at the Veterans Home of California-Barstow. “When they tell me about their deployment experiences, they’re the same as […]

Navy veteran Derek Rose and his grandmother, Marian Metzler.

The Trifecta: CalVet’s Rose Shows His Range in Helping California’s Veterans

How has U.S. Navy veteran Derek Rose served other veterans since coming to CalVet seven years ago? Let us count the ways. Rose served four years in the military which included a two-year assignment in Bahrain. He separated in 2011, and used his Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits to earn his undergraduate degree from Sacramento […]

Dr. James Vogus in front of the sign for the Veterans Homes of California-Redding.

Seeing ‘Old Glory’ Adorning A Captured Enemy Ship Buoys Redding Doctor to Care for Other Veterans

In the pitch-blackness of a September night in 1987, the commander of an American cruiser in the Persian Gulf sounded general quarters. “He told us we were in the middle of an Iranian minefield,” said James Vogus—now chief physician and surgeon at the Veterans Home of California-Redding—a crew member that evening. “I wrote a letter […]