Since 1919, November 11 has held a special place in Americans’ hearts. That year, we celebrated Armistice Day for the first time, commemorating the one-year anniversary of the end of World War I that came on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Then, in 1954, President Eisenhower renamed it Veterans […]
Army veteran Tom Britzman remembered the way CalVet stood behind his in-laws when a levee broke and the Feather River flooded their Yuba City home at Christmastime in 1955. “My (World War I veteran) father-in-law and mother-in-law had four feet of water in their home,” Britzman said. “CalVet took care of getting their house redone.” […]
Six weeks before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent a not-so-subtle message indicating the United States was ramping up for war. On November 1, 1941 – 79 years ago today – he signed Executive Order 8929, which put the U.S. Coast Guard under the Navy’s control, a moved usually restricted to […]
ALAMEDA – Two small flashlights, resting several feet apart on the darkened mess deck, suddenly lit up. A third flashlight, at the opposite end of the room, joined in. All by themselves. Then the flashlights went off again, repeating this phenomenon throughout the evening and again, all by themselves. Did they really go on and […]
For four days in October 1944, American and Japanese naval forces slugged it out in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The battle was part of the Allied forces retaking of the Philippine Islands, which the Japanese had captured early in 1942. It represented the largest sea battle in all of World War II, and perhaps […]
On October 22, 1962, President John F. Kennedy went on national television to tell the American people they were in the gravest possible danger imaginable. The Cold War that commenced in 1947, and persisted throughout the 1950s, had gotten even colder after the Soviets shot down an American U-2 spy plane over the USSR and […]
Four women veterans will be honored virtually on Wednesday, October 21 during the annual 2020 Women Veterans Reception taking place from 6-7:30 p.m. The veterans will be recognized for their leadership and noteworthy impact on their communities with the annual California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) Trailblazer Award. The 2020 awardees are: Cecilia Salazar of […]
Consider it a Father’s Day gift that became a most special delivery. Lee Mills is an 86-year-old Korean War-era Navy veteran who lives at the Veterans Home of California-Ventura. As is the case with all eight homes in CalVet’s system, COVID-19 pandemic protocol prohibits visits from family and friends to the Ventura Home. Consequently, Mills’ […]
Statues, in many cases, honor a person who symbolized leadership, bravery, and who set the example that others follow. The California Mexican-American Veterans Memorial, known as “El Soldado,” is different, though. It represents not an individual, but an entire culture of patriots. Consequently, with Latino Heritage Month coming to its close, the California Department of […]
Happy 245th birthday to the United States Navy! The Continental Congress formally established the Navy on October 13, 1775, which became the traditional birthdate of the U.S. Navy – nine months before the founders signed the Declaration of Independence and formed the United States of America. American ships captured over 200 British ships during the […]
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