Category MyCalVet

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: GRATITUDE FROM VENTURA HOME’S NEWEST VETERAN RESIDENT
Ed Gafford gave rave reviews to his lunch earlier this week at the Veterans Homes of California-Ventura. “The vegetable soup was as good as I’ve ever had,” the 89-year-old U.S. Army veteran said. “A hoagie sandwich, and I had that with a kale salad. A wonderful meal.” Ah, life’s simple pleasures, with his appreciation enhanced […]

FOR WHOM THE TOLLS DON’T APPLY: ELIGIBLE VETS WON’T PAY FOR BRIDGE CROSSINGS AMONG NEW LAWS IN 2023
When the clock struck midnight and rang in 2023, it brought several new laws that will honor and benefit many of California’s 1.6 million military veterans. All were signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022. Perhaps the most notable of them? We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it – literally, figuratively, and seriously. […]

WEBINARS OF INTRIGUE: HOW CALTAP WENT VIRTUAL DURING THE PANDEMIC TO KEEP VETERANS CONNECTED
When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in early 2020 and shut many things down, CalVet stepped up. When other offices stopped answering their phones or were unable to reply, CalVet picked up. When military bases, college campuses, and other community-based points of connection closed, CalVet booted up and took vital information right into the veterans’ homes […]

NEW ROUND OF BOND SALES WILL HELP MORE VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO ENJOY HOMEOWNERSHIP
Since its creation in 1921, CalVet’s Home Loans program has helped more than 440,000 veterans and their families achieve the American dream of homeownership, loaning more than $8.4 billion–and counting–through its first 101 years. That “counting” will continue for years to come after a recent bond sale provided an additional $255.5 million to help more […]

WITH CALVET’S HELP, SIKH SOLDIER FINDS NATIONAL GUARD RELIGIOUSLY ACCOMMODATING
When Kanwarpreet Singh came to the United States from India four years ago, he knew he wanted to serve his new country. Military service, he said, is important to members of the Sikh faith no matter where they live. However, he would need some help to join any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and […]

VETERANS DAY IN THE BOOKS? AT CALVET, EVERY DAY IS A NEW PAGE WHEN IT COMES TO SERVING THEM
The parades and picnics are over. Speeches made and proclamations read. The American flags that lined the streets throughout the country and California are neatly folded, stored until the next national holiday. Veterans Day – America’s annual day of thanking veterans for defending this country and the freedoms our Constitution guarantees – is in the […]

CALVET’S VETERANS DAY POSTER DEFINES OUR MISSION AND PURPOSE
As a nation, we rely upon our armed forces to protect and defend the Constitution and the rights and freedoms it guarantees. Our servicemembers risk their lives for the reward of maintaining our democracy; even putting this solemn duty ahead of their own wellbeing, families, and loved ones. Yet, over the decades, veterans have had […]

A FLEETING LOOK AT THE ‘GHOST SHIPS’ THAT ONCE DOMINATED SUISUN BAY
With Halloween upon us, CalVet is seeing ghosts again – or at least imagining them. In October 2020, CalVet Connect introduced you to the spooky emanations residing in the bowels of the haunted USS Hornet, an aircraft carrier docked in Alameda. This time, it’s the so-called “Ghost Fleet” that once dominated Suisun Bay near Benicia […]

NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH: GRAB YOUR SEAT AT THE TABLE
With National Hispanic Heritage Month winding down, Aimee Pila-Bravo has some advice for other Hispanics, Latinos and Latinas looking to make a difference: “Be a mentor,” said the 34-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran, currently a member of the Air Force Reserve and director of the Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative (LAVC). “Volunteer. Give back to the […]

U.S. AIR FORCE CELEBRATES 75 YEARS OF FLYING SOLO IN THE WILD BLUE YONDER
Happy 75th birthday to the United States Air Force! The Air Force became its own branch of the U.S. military after President Truman signed the National Security Act on September 18, 1947. Aviation had been part of the U.S. military since the Civil War, and Allies relied on aircraft throughout both World Wars. The Navy […]