Tag Archives: Veterans

Graphic with CalVet logo and image of seated man holding a music record with another record on table nearby.

Holiday Caroling in August? Barstow Home Veteran Brings Joy Through Song, Year Round

With a chill in the air and Thanksgiving 2024 in the books, there’s nothing like a little holiday music to ring in the rest of the season. And perhaps, with no one in earshot, you might even sing along, right? Even better: Try crooning carols in the summertime with dozens of others in a Southern […]

Outdoor shot of a row of housing in the Windsor Village.

How CalVet Ensures that California Veterans are the Most Connected, Protected, and Respected Veterans in the Nation

Veterans Day is our annual national day of gratitude for those who have defended our country and our Constitution. But at CalVet, thanking veterans is a year-round, continuous honor, duty, and privilege. In fact, is it our vision that California’s veterans become the nation’s most connected, most protected, and most respected veterans, and this happens […]

Graphic with CalVet logo and image of two men standing outside, one holding a framed black and white photograph.

Honoring Legacy: A CalVet Staff Member’s Commitment to Veterans Inspired by Family Military Service

Stories of service that resonate. Stories that inspire. Stories that move us. Many such stories are shared on America’s back porches, in living rooms and, on occasion, around campfires in the woods. Or they are not told at all, which speaks volumes about the impacts of war some veterans experienced. Keith Smothers said the stories […]

Graphic with CalVet logo, image of man with two large dogs, and image of man holding military medals.

Of Medals and Mettle: Marine Veteran’s Hardware Back Home Nine Years After Theft

With Veterans Day approaching, a Southern California resident went above and beyond the call of duty to show his respect and gratitude to a Marine veteran. Here’s how: One mid-September day, Oceanside resident Greg Workman took his two Great Danes — eight-year-old Guinness and one-year-old Gus — for a walk.

Graphic with CalVet logo and image of man and woman inside house, with woman holding up keys.

The H Home Run: A Hero, His CalVet Home Loan, and Hispanic Heritage Month

H is for hero, and Army veteran Jose Chavez definitely qualifies. He earned a Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, and other medals the only way you can get them — the hard way — in Iraq in 2009. H is also for home, which Chavez and his wife, Melissa, moved into in Sacramento County recently […]

Graphic with CalVet logo and purple graphic that says "Womenveterans affairs trailblazer awards 2024."

CalVet to Honor Women Veterans with 2024 Trailblazer Awards

The California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) will honor six amazing women veterans with Trailblazer Awards during a ceremony on October 8 in San Diego. It will mark the 11th ceremony since the inaugural event in 2013. This year’s class will bring the total number of honorees to 41, and four military branches — the […]

Graphic with CalVet logo and black and white image of U.S. soldier during World War II.

CalVet Deputy Secretary’s Native American Military Heritage Spans 138 Years

As California Native American Day (September 27) nears, CalVet salutes the more than 13,200 Native Americans among the state’s 1.5 million military veterans and their families.  Add Coby Petersen, CalVet’s deputy secretary for the Veterans Homes Division for the past decade, to the list. Petersen is a retired U.S. Army colonel, is one-quarter Navajo, and […]

Northern California Veterans Cemetery in Igo Adds 2,000 Columbaria Niches

Five new columbaria have been constructed, each containing 400 niches, at CalVet’s Northern California Veterans Cemetery in Igo.  This means that the 154 families who have been waiting specifically for the columbaria now have the opportunity to inter their loved ones. 

Graphic with CalVet logo, welder, and text that says "National Hire a Veteran Day."

Veterans at Your Service: National Hire a Veteran Day Highlights the Benefits They Bring

National Hire a Veteran Day — July 25 — is the day each year we tout the amazing skills, knowledge, and energies our military veterans bring with them into the civilian workplace.  It’s not simply a one-day event, though. Employers can and should hire veterans anytime, all the time, and — there’s no time like […]

Graphic with CalVet logo and image of smiling man holding Apollo 11 memorabilia.

Witnessing Apollo XI’s Liftoff Gave Lancaster Home Veteran One Giant Memory 

On July 20, 1969 – 55 years ago this month – astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first earthling to set foot on the moon. The words he uttered as he descended from Apollo XI’s lunar module, dubbed “The Eagle,” still resonate  “That’s one small step for man. One giant leap for mankind.”  David Lewis, a […]