Veterans’ Voices show will discuss health care eligibility for veterans with toxic exposures
On Monday, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m. (Pacific Time) the Veterans’ Voices show will host a live panel of experts to discuss the impact of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act on the Veterans community. The PACT Act is perhaps the largest health care and benefit expansion in history and focuses on health care eligibility for Veterans with toxic exposures.
Guests will include Nevada County Veterans Service Officer David West and San Luis Obispo County Veterans Service Officer Morgan Boyd. Legal Expert and Veterans’ Advocate Jim Radogna will also appear. The live panel will answer viewer questions and help navigate Veterans through the important aspects of this groundbreaking legislation.
Viewers can share their own experiences or ask questions by calling the program at 925-313-1170. They can also use the phone number to record a message for the panel at any time prior to the show. Leave questions and comments at facebook.com/veteransvoices1 or email veteransvoices@contracostatv.org prior to or during the live television show. You can also view the show live via Zoom webinar; go to Zoom and use the Webinar ID 813 7282 1444.
The Veterans’ Voices program is broadcast live on Contra Costa Television (CCTV) on the second Monday of every month at 7 p.m. It can be seen live online at facebook.com/veteransvoices1. You can find an archive of past shows and show resources at https://contracosta.ca.gov/5163/Veterans-Voices or on our YouTube channel Veterans’ Voices of Contra Costa. The show is re-run multiple times on CCTV on Comcast Channel 27, Astound Channels 32 and 1027, and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99.
Veteran’s Day Tournament at Brentwood Golf Club Sunday, Nov. 12
For more information visit The Golf Club at Brentwood (brentwoodgolf.com).
Contra Costa Supervisors to recognize 50th Anniversary of end of Vietnam War Tuesday, Nov. 7
During Annual Veterans Day Celebration
By Contra Costa County District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis
Contra Costa County’s Board of Supervisors honors Veterans & their families at the Annual Veterans Day Celebration on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. in the Board Chambers at 1025 Escobar Street, Martinez.
This year, the ceremony will feature a special recognition for the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.
Watch online at www.contracostatv.org. The celebration will broadcast live on Contra Costa Television channels: Comcast Channel 27, AT&T U-Verse Channel 99, and Astound Channels 32 and 1027.
Kick-off for Homes for Our Troops custom home in Byron Oct. 7
Benefiting Byron Marine
By Office of District 3 Contra Costa County Supervisor Diane Burgis
Please join Homes for Our Troops to kick off the building of a specially adapted custom home for Marine Sgt. Kyle Garcia in Byron.
Homes for Our Troops is a privately funded 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that builds and donates specially adapted, custom homes nationwide for severely injured post 9/11 Veterans.
They are building a home in Byron for Marine Sgt. Kyle Garcia. He joined the Marines shortly after high school, serving two tours in Iraq in 2007 and 2009. He deployed a third time to Afghanistan in 2011, as a scout sniper with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines. Then, on Nov. 7, 2011, Sgt. Garcia was on a foot patrol in Sangin, Afghanistan, when he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED). He immediately lost his left leg in the blast and sustained severe damage to his right leg. If you would like to learn more about him, please visit this link: https://www.hfotusa.org/kgarcia/
Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023
Time: Check-in begins at 9:30 am. Event begins at 10:00 am.
Location: Delta Community Presbyterian Church. 1900 Willow Lake Road, Discovery Bay
Ceremony will be followed by a light lunch and an opportunity to meet Sgt. Garcia.
Event volunteers needed! For more information or to get involved, please contact Jocelyn Phipps, Community Engagement Director at jphipps@hfotusa.org or 508-789-3501
Volunteers needed for Stand Down on the Delta in Antioch Sept. 8-11
Delta Veterans Group to serve homeless and other military veterans, members of the public
By J.R. Wilson, Founder/ President, Delta Veterans Group
The next Stand Down on the Delta will be held in September 8-11, 2023, at the Contra Costa Event Park (fairgrounds) located in Antioch, CA presented by Delta Veterans Group (DVG).
DVG was proud to bring the first homeless and at-risk of becoming homeless veteran “Stand Down on the Delta” of its kind to Contra Costa County in September 2015. Stand Down on the Delta was a four-day, three-night event in which veterans were provided full medical treatments, court and legal services, DMV, chaplain services, housing, addiction and mental health counseling, employment and a myriad of other community services. During the event, veterans were also provided with clothing, meals, showers, sleeping tents, live entertainment and a safe place to “stand down” for the duration.
We will do the same for our veterans, this year as well.
Volunteers are needed to help serve our military veterans because VETERANS SERVED THEIR COUNTRY AND VETERANS SERVE THEIR COMMUNITIES!
Most services on Saturday, Sept. 9 will be open to the general public. You do not need to be a veteran to receive services that day.
Veterans and volunteers can register and obtain more information by visiting www.deltaveteransgroup.org.
Delta Veterans Group is comprised of both veteran and civilian volunteers who wish to serve veterans in their community. We strive to bring our veterans the four pillars of success – Housing, Employment, Health and Education – one which will not work without the other three. Through the four pillars of success as a veteran myself, I was able to find peace and balance in my life, and a chance to bring about positive changes for veterans in our community. Our goal is simple – to bring together all of the Veteran Service Organizations in our communities and champion support for our nation’s finest men and women veterans.
Delta Veterans Group 501(c)3 was founded in Contra Costa County in 2012 by Army veteran J.R. Wilson, DVG has now grown to provide services to surrounding Northern California areas including Alameda, Monterey, Napa, San Joaquin, San Francisco, and Solano counties.
Help with Stand Down on the Delta 2023 to benefit veterans in Contra Costa
Join Virtually
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84535737114?pwd=dlhiQXhCaW56cWhIMGozK1NFMTFhUT09
April 11, 2023
May 9, 2023
Veterans’ Voices to air “Best of 2022” show Dec. 12
Includes interview with Secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs Dr. Vito Imbasciani
By Ray Alvarado, Contra Costa County Office of Communications & Media
On Monday, December 12th, at 7 pm (PST), the Veterans’ Voices show will premiere its “Best of 2022” show, highlighting some of the best moments from the past year. It will showcase some of the most interesting interviews from a wide range of topics important to the Veterans community. The show will feature Veterans from all branches of service sharing their experiences. It will also include an interview with the Secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs, Dr. Vito Imbasciani.
The Veterans’ Voices program is broadcasted on Contra Costa Television (CCTV) on the second Monday of every month at 7 pm. It can be seen live online at facebook.com/veteransvoices1. You can find an archive of past shows and show resources at https://contracosta.ca.gov/5163/Veterans-Voices
or on our YouTube channel Veterans’ Voices of Contra Costa. The show is re-run multiple times on CCTV on Comcast Channel 27, Astound Channels 32 and 1027, and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99.
Join us as we present our year of topics discussed from the Veterans’ point of view. We are proud to share these open and honest discussions and honor those who serve.
Mt. Diablo Beacon Lighting Ceremony Wednesday, Dec. 7
On Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
By Laura Kindsvater, Communications Manager, Save Mount Diablo
On December 7th, Mount Diablo’s Beacon will be relit by a survivor of Pearl Harbor supported by a Save Mount Diablo team.
The Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, Chapter 5 are pleased to co-sponsor this 59th Annual National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Beacon Lighting Ceremony with Save Mount Diablo, California State Parks, and California State University, East Bay.
We invite you to attend the ceremony to pay tribute to the lives that were lost and honor our surviving veterans of Pearl Harbor. The ceremony will be held at the California State University, East Bay Concord Campus, at 4700 Ygnacio Valley Road in Concord.
Viewing of the new USS Arizona exhibit at the CSUEB Concord Campus will be available from 3:00 PM to 3:45 PM as well as 45 minutes post ceremony. The ceremony will commence at 3:45 PM.
The program begins with the posting of colors, pledge of allegiance, and national anthem.
Ted Clement, Executive Director of Save Mount Diablo; Clint Elsholz, Acting Diablo Range District Superintendent for California State Parks; and Robert Phelps, PhD, Executive Director of California State University, East Bay Concord Campus will then speak.
Pearl Harbor survivors in attendance will be introduced by Wayne Korsinen, honorary member of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors.
A performance of “God Bless the USA” by Erin Hegerty and guitar solo by Darren Brouestle will follow. Then Catharine Baker, former State Assemblymember, will speak. Afterwards, Frank Dorritie of Bugles Across America will perform “Taps.” At 5 PM, the Beacon will be lit.
“The Beacon lighting is a tribute to those individuals that lost their lives at Pearl Harbor,” remarked Earl “Chuck” Kohler, the last known remaining serviceman survivor in Contra Costa County.
The ceremony is also an opportunity to honor the survivors.
The ceremony will also be broadcast on Contra Costa Television during the following dates and times:
- Wednesday, December 14 at 7 PM
- Thursday, December 15 at 2 AM
- Saturday, December 17 at 5:30 PM
- Monday, December 19 at 8 PM
- Tuesday, December 20 at 10 AM
- Wednesday, December 21 at 5 PM
- Thursday, December 22 at 6 PM
The Beacon on Mount Diablo was originally installed and illuminated in 1928 to aid in transcontinental aviation. It is one of the four guiding beacons installed along the west coast by Standard Oil of California and is the only one known to still be operational.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Beacon’s light was extinguished during the west coast blackout, for fear it could enable an attack on California. It stayed dark until Pearl Harbor Day in 1964, when Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander in Chief of Pacific Forces during World War II, relit the Beacon in a commemorative ceremony and suggested it be illuminated every December 7th to honor those who served and sacrificed.
Since that day, Pearl Harbor veterans and their families have gathered every December 7th to see the Beacon light shine once again.
The Beacon now shines brighter than ever since it underwent an extensive restoration process in 2013 (thanks to a campaign led by Save Mount Diablo) to ensure it continues to shine for many more years. The Pearl Harbor Survivors now know that the Beacon will shine long after they are gone.
The Beacon is lit at sunset and shines all night on this evening each year. Beginning this year, it was also lit on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. On Sunday, April 11, 2021, Save Mount Diablo concluded a year of lighting the Beacon weekly to bring light and hope to our region during the worst of the pandemic.
Save Mount Diablo
Save Mount Diablo is a nationally accredited, nonprofit land trust founded in 1971 with a mission
to preserve Mount Diablo’s peaks, surrounding foothills, watersheds, and connection to the Diablo Range through land acquisition and preservation strategies designed to protect the mountain’s natural beauty, biological diversity, and historic and agricultural heritage; enhance our area’s quality of life; and provide educational and recreational opportunities consistent with protection of natural resources. To learn more, please visit www.savemountdiablo.org.
What: Save Mount Diablo; the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, Chapter 5; and California State Parks will light the “Eye of Diablo,” the Beacon atop Mount Diablo to memorialize National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. As the number of survivors has decreased over the years, the number of people attending the ceremony in honor of these heroes has increased, including many sons and daughters vital to organizing the service.
When: Wednesday, December 7th, 2022
USS Arizona viewing begins at 3:00 PM, ceremony at 3:45 PM, Beacon lighting at 5:00 PM
Where: The ceremony will be held at the California State University, East Bay Concord Campus, 4700 Ygnacio Valley Road, in Concord.
Directions: http://goo.gl/maps/jXhcW
Access: Parking is available on campus, and parking fees will be waived for this event. See campus map.
For more information on the Beacon:
https://savemountdiablo.org/experience/events-outings/beacon-lighting/
Free golf, food, prizes for veterans at Brentwood Golf Club Friday, Nov. 11
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