Tag Archives: Veterans

THE GAME OF HIS LIFE PRODUCED MAJOR RESULTS
Larry Rankin faced a big decision after graduating from high school in Michigan more than two decades ago. Go to college? “I wasn’t ready for college,” he said. OK, then, follow in his Navy dad’s footsteps by joining a branch of the military? “Not for me,” Rankin said. “Never.” Then, a funny thing happened on […]

FOR WHOM THE TOLLS DON’T APPLY: ELIGIBLE VETS WON’T PAY FOR BRIDGE CROSSINGS AMONG NEW LAWS IN 2023
When the clock struck midnight and rang in 2023, it brought several new laws that will honor and benefit many of California’s 1.6 million military veterans. All were signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022. Perhaps the most notable of them? We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it – literally, figuratively, and seriously. […]

GO AHEAD, MAKE MY VETERANS DAY: WHEN FORT ORD WAS A SPRINGBOARD TO HOLLYWOOD
From World War I through the first Gulf War, Fort Ord was a U.S. Army base known for producing soldiers. Today, it is home to CalVet’s California Central Coast Veterans Cemetery and also to Cal State University-Monterey Bay, among other things. For a few years in the early 1950s, however, the outpost on the Monterey […]

THE ‘THANK-YOU’ NOTES THAT MEAN SO MUCH TO CALVET’S ANALYSTS HELPING INCARCERATED VETERANS
Steven Smith scrolled through his emails one day a few months ago, and came across one that simply moved him. Smith, a United States Navy Veteran, is among the seven veterans claims analysts working directly with incarcerated veterans in California’s 35 state prisons through CalVet’s Justice Involved Veterans Initiative. The analysts help veterans—many imprisoned for […]

NEW LAWS ON THE BOOKS TO BENEFIT CALIFORNIA VETERANS, FAMILIES
Some new California laws will offer the state’s 1.6 million veterans more of what they need in life and also what they might want afterward. More veterans can now obtain a CalVet Home loan at lower, more competitive interest rates. Disabled veterans’ estates will have an easier time securing local property tax exemptions. And finally, […]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, WITH AN EYE TO THE SKY FOR REALLY SPOOKY STUFF
With Halloween upon us, we look to the maybe not-as-friendly-as-we-thought skies for a good spooking. On October 30, 1938 – Halloween Eve – Orson Welles punk’d an entire nation with his “War of the Worlds” radio spoof. It remains to this day the most famous radio broadcast ever – even more famous than President Franklin […]

Love – the lighter side of service, or how Cupid will find you no matter where you are
We love stories from our veterans. Most of these stories focus on military life – during peacetime or war. The best stories tug on our heartstrings, evoke strong emotions, and leave us wanting more. Deployments, temporary duty assignments, and training all provide opportunities for such stories, especially stories on “how I met your mother (or […]

EDD’s Veterans Day campaign showcases how employment services help veterans find jobs
Unemployment among California veterans dropped to 3.2 percent over the past two years – down 2.6 percentage points since August 2019 – according to the state Employment Development Department. And among the 735,700 employed veterans across California, 1 in 10 held a job in management, earning $138,000 annually compared to the statewide average of $60,485. […]

California Central Coast Veterans Cemetery to receive national honor for quality
SEASIDE – The Central California Coast Veterans Cemetery (CCCVC) in Seaside has been selected to receive the prestigious Organizational Excellence Award from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA). The cemetery, which opened in 2016, is operated by the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet). It was jointly developed and constructed by the USDVA, […]

Veterans faring well in California’s longest job growth streak in decades
Labor Day – the day America celebrates its workers – offers an opportunity to see how our military veterans are doing in the California labor market. The answer? Quite well, it seems. The number of unemployed veterans in California declined from 65,200 to 20,800 between October 2015 and October 2018. The labor force, whether for […]