Category MyCalVet
BY ANY INTERPRETATION, IRAQI AMERICAN CAN INSPIRE AFGHAN REFUGEES
Khaleel Yasir – a proud American citizen and Californian – watched the recent airlifts of refugees from Kabul, Afghanistan, with a greater understanding than perhaps the rest of us. He once had been in the same position himself—a refugee and an interpreter whose family would have remained in grave danger, and possibly faced death had […]
MARINE VETERAN TRANSITIONS FROM ‘COPTER UPKEEP TO BEEKEEPING
As a helicopter mechanic in the military, Jesus Toro’s primary duty involved keeping flying objects flying and performing optimally. Today, the 30-year-old husband, father of three children, and Marine Corps veteran still keeps things flying and performing optimally. He just handles more of them — as in thousands upon thousands more. Toro is a beekeeper […]
WIMMER NAMED TO HEAD CALVET’S WOMEN VETERANS AFFAIRS DIVISION
Virginia Wimmer spent 26 years in the United States Air Force, holding a wide variety of duties that “made me a better airman,” she said. Upon retiring from the military out of Travis Air Force Base in 2012, she began her career working with longtime Solano County Veterans Service Officer Ted Puntillo as a veteran […]
A RED-RIBBON (CUTTING) DAY FOR VETERAN, FAMILY IN NEW MERCED HOME
Veteran Glenn Friedlander wrapped several strands of ribbon around the column and across the walkway leading to a brand-new home in Merced one recent morning. Then, wife Charilyn tied on a big bow as their 10-year-old son Kiero played with baby daughter Zaniah Joy. Consider it a red-ribbon moment for the Friedlander family. Moments later, […]
SAN DIEGO-AREA VET, FAMILY FOUND A BETTER WAY WITH CALVET LOAN
Since 1921, more than 426,000 California veterans have enjoyed a better option. Builders or real estate agents will point them toward CalVet, where they can take advantage of its bond-allocated program for veterans and great customer service from skilled and caring loan originators and staff. And depending upon the market conditions, they often find better […]
79 YEARS AGO TODAY, GENE AUTRY JOINED THE MILITARY WITH GREAT FANFARE AND WITH FANS LISTENING IN
79 YEARS AGO TODAY, GENE AUTRY JOINED THE MILITARY WITH GREAT FANFARE AND WITH FANS LISTENING IN In 1942, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor drew the United States into World War II, celebrities from entertainers to athletes enlisted or were drafted into the military. Few, however, went in with the fanfare – and […]
‘… ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND’ GAVE U.S. THE LEAD IN THE SPACE RACE 52 YEARS AGO TODAY
Fifty-two years ago today, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon, crossing the finish line first as the United States beat the Soviet Union in that particular heat of the space race. With over a billion people listening back on Planet Earth, Armstrong uttered the now-famous words, “That’s one small step […]
PASSION, DUTY, AND A LABOR OF LOVE: HELPING VETERANS AT CALVET IS ALL OF THE ABOVE
For those of us who work at the California Department of Veterans Affairs, however, every day is Veterans Day. It is our passion, our duty, and a labor of love to help veterans in all ways within our means. Many who work for CalVet are veterans themselves — veterans serving veterans. You, too, can make […]
THE NATION CALLED, AND CALIFORNIANS RESPONDED TO FIGHT IN THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR
On this day in 1898, President William McKinley issued a call for 125,000 volunteer troops to fight in the Spanish-American War in the Philippines. When the explosion of the USS Maine in Cuba’s Havana harbor left 268 U.S. sailors dead on February 15 of that year, media moguls including William Randolph Hearst blamed Spain – […]
OUR TWO CENTS (AN ACRE’S) WORTH: ‘SEWARD’S FOLLY’ TURNED OUT TO BE QUITE A BARGAIN, IN “DEED”
On April 9 in 1867, Congress ratified the purchase of Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million, or two cents per acre. The deal had been in the works since 1859, when Russian offered Alaska to the U.S. as a way of preventing the expansion of the British empire into the territory. However, the American Civil […]
