Sacramento County Veterans Digest

A report on the American Legion Post 233 sponsored Veterans Day Parade in Elk Grove on November 11.

Despite a decrease of 15% compared to the last count in 2022, the number of homeless veterans in Sacramento County remains high.

The Citrus Heights Rotary Foundation has donated $100,000 to the Citrus Heights Veterans Memorial Project which plans to build a Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

Federal judge David O. Carter has declined to dismiss a lawsuit that could force the Veterans Administration to house veterans experiencing homelessness in the Los Angeles area. Carter’s 41-page ruling could pave the way for a trial in mid-2024.

In Sacramento County, a new initiative is underway to make the area “friendlier” for people who have dementia and attempt to lower rates of the disease in the first place. Officials want more businesses to be able to see the signs, and for families to have more clarity on local resources.

The link between PFAS and testicular cancer among service members was never directly proven—until now.

Richard Davis keeps his replica Congressional Gold Medal in a glass case that his wife had made to hold the award. The 97-year-old Davis, who lives in Sacramento’s Pocket-Greenhaven community, is one of around 200 people left from roughly 23,000 who trained between 1942 and 1949.

Mark Jackson, CEO and founder of St. Martin Foundation, hopes to help build a facility to house homeless men in Elk Grove. His mission is to reduce homelessness among males transitioning from alcohol addiction recovery programs or incarceration.

Assemblymembers Ken Cooley (D-Rancho Cordova) and Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) presented American River College Veterans Resource Center with a $2.5 million check from state budget. The funds will be used for structural improvements and HVAC upgrades.

The first brick was installed, inscribed with the name of area Vietnam vet Oscar O’con; more to come at this memorial honoring both living and deceased veterans.

Four Paws 2 Freedom, which started in 2011, has helped military veterans with PTSD gain “personal freedom through the company of a trained service dog,” said board chairman Steve Barnett, a former Army infantryman.

Galt paid tribute on May 30 to those who have died in military service during the Galt-Arno Cemetery District’s Memorial Day observance.

For decades, a stone memorial has stood silently in Rusch Park, with a bronze plaque bearing the names of 272 Citrus Heights residents.

Auburn will host a ‘Stand Down’ May 2-5, where veterans will receive services from meals, showers and haircuts to employment counseling and housing referrals.

Since its cornerstone was laid down in 1951, little has been done to the Carmichael Veterans Hall. But the Carmichael Recreation and Park District facility will reopen this spring after a $50,000 facelift, with the biggest embellishment being 21 dual-pane windows installed with funding from Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

Folsom Lake College has been selected to participate in a program is to ensure all United States military veterans and active duty service members receive college transfer credit for the coursework they complete during active duty.

After years of dreaming and development, Mather Veterans Village is now open in Rancho Cordova. The facility will cater to the unique needs of homeless veterans.

The Citrus Heights Veterans Community Center is holding its annual Fall Festival on Oct. 23. This is a much-anticipated event each year with food and games ranging in price from $1-$6.

Several hundred mourners gathered in Roseville on Sept. 18 to honor U.S. Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee, killed in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. Family and friends spoke about the Roseville native and her outstanding service to her country.

The Folsom Veterans Hall recently presented Sgt. Trevor Hammonds with several donation checks after his house in Grizzly Flats was lost in the Caldor Fire.

The California Capital Airshow is back after a break due to the pandemic. Happening September 24-26, the show at Mather Field will include the United States Air Force Thunderbirds, Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds and F-35 Lightning jet demonstration teams.

David Field, who served more than 20 years as a Marine, is living with combat-related ALS. The local Dairy Queen is raising funds to bring him to his new hometown of Orangevale, where Homes For Our Troops has procured an adapted custom home where Field can live on his own.

After a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the “Freedom Isn’t Free” car show is back. Event organizer Mary Gromer said about 100 vehicles were displayed, with donations going to Blue Star Moms, an organization that sends care packages to soldiers serving overseas.

Life is slowly returning to VFW Post 6158 in Fair Oaks after a year-long closure due to COVID-19. American Legion Post 383 and American Legion Auxiliary Unit 383 both meet at the facility.

Observing COVID rules regarding assembly, 30-plus supporters gathered at Koobs Nature Area to honor and name the 15 graduates of Carmichael’s La Sierra High School who were killed in the Vietnam War.

Mosaic artist Robin Moyher unveiled a mural titled “Hometown Heroes” at B&J Body Shop, culminating a two-year process. It features the images of various first responders in silhouette against the backdrop of a tattered flag which “reminds us that we remain one country, strained and stretched, but still united,” the artist said.

Veteran sacrifice was honored at the Carmichael Elks Lodge during Wreaths Across America, an exhibition that toured Alabama, Texas, Arizona and California, including stops in San Diego, Bakersfield, Grass Valley, Willows and Concord.