When 49-year-old Julian Bond was recently appointed by Governor Newsom to run the Veterans Home of California-Ventura, CalVet got more than just an experienced administrator. It received a retired Army colonel from a family with a long, distinguished, and storied history of public service. His great-grandfather, James Bond, was born into slavery during the Civil […]
Don’t forget CalVet’s 7th Annual MRE Cooking Challenge Thursday, July 18, at the California State Fair! Come watch top area chefs and members of the military test their skills as they transform Meal-Ready-to-Eat military field rations into tantalizing triumphs. The event, a highlight of the State Fair’s Military and Veteran Appreciation Day, begins at noon […]
Can military sustenance become scrumptious? Can drab be transformed into delectable? See for yourself at CalVet’s 7th Annual MRE Cooking Challenge, Thursday July 18 at the California State Fair, an event that promises to be tastefully done. The Challenge pairs military veterans and noted local chefs as they look to impress a panel of culinary […]
As we celebrate our nation’s 243rd birthday this Fourth of July, our patriotism will be evident with parades, picnics, patio barbecues, and pyrotechnics. So proudly we will hail, amid a sea of star-spangled banners. But in these heartfelt salutes to Old Glory, many might first want to familiarize themselves with the “dos” and “don’ts” of […]
It took some time, but Chuck Woodson learned what many veterans and others dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) eventually come to accept: that the first step in dealing with the disorder is being able to talk about it. The 75-year-old Aptos resident and Army veteran left the military after fighting in Vietnam in the […]
YOUNTVILLE – Areas of the nation’s oldest and largest veterans home just got a great new look and new facilities on June 19, thanks to more than 400 volunteers from Home Depot, Habitat for Humanity, the Tug McGraw Foundation, the Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership, and others. They gave the 135-year-old Veterans Home of […]
Like so many others who left the military for civilian life, Arthur Matedne wanted to return to college. The Navy veteran from Stockton was aware of the GI Bill and that he should take advantage of his earned benefits, but knew little about them. “Not a lot at all,” said Matedne, a 32-year-old who spent […]
While the Trump Administration in effect has ordered the Department of Defense to ban transgender troops from serving in the U.S. military, LGBTQ troops in the California National Guard have a staunch defender in their Deputy Adjutant General, Major General Matthew Beevers. Headquartered in Sacramento, Beevers said he clearly values the service of transgender troops, […]
Nick Scordino seems to have a knack for notable days. A resident of the Veterans Home of California-West Los Angeles, he turned 97 years old on Memorial Day 2019. His last day in the Army Air Corps happened to be Thanksgiving Day 1945, six months after the Germans surrendered in World War II. And, according […]
June 28 marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York. For six days in 1969, LGBTQ individuals who frequented the Stonewall Inn, a gay and lesbian bar in Manhattan’s West Village, rebelled against the harassment by the New York police who kept raiding it. They resisted, long before “resist” became a political […]
