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 […]
On this day in 1942, the first B-29 Superfortress bomber made its maiden flight in Seattle. Built by Boeing and the brainchild of General Henry H. “Hap’ Arnold, this plane was a modern marvel. (Incidentally, Arnold learned to fly at the hands of the Wright brothers, but that’s another story.) It was the first U.S. […]
On this day in 1862, Union commissary Sergeant William McKinley braved enemy fire to feed Union troops during the Battle of Antietam – the single bloodiest day on American soil – and earned the praise of Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes. McKinley, then just 19 years old and serving in the 23rd Ohio Volunteers, drove a […]
The 20-year war in Afghanistan is over. More than 2,400 American military personnel died fighting there. Four Californians were among the 13 servicemembers who perished in the evacuation operation’s final days. The war also claimed the lives of more than 3,600 civilian contractors and tens of thousands of Afghans since 2001. Many Americans who served […]
On September 9, 1850, California became the 31st state in the union, just two years removed from Mexican control and joining a nation in expansion mode. After Spain ruled Mexico and the West for 300 years, Mexico gained its independence in 1821 and with it, control of California among its realm. With the United States […]
As we celebrate Labor Day weekend, here’s a bit of background on the holiday, how it came to be, and some events that happened on Labor Days throughout history. In the spring of 1894 – and after several years of growing labor unrest across the nation – workers of the Pullman Palace Car Company in […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
NAPA – Bob Bischoff climbed into the front seat of a 1943 Boeing Stearman bi-plane earlier this week for a joyride over the Napa Valley’s vineyards and neighborhoods. Referring to pilot Andrew Lohmar, Bischoff said “He would turn like this,” then turned his hands downward as if an airplane. The 95-year-old U.S. Army veteran continued, […]
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