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Help with Stand Down on the Delta 2023 to benefit veterans in Contra Costa

February 9, 2023 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Join Virtually

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84535737114?pwd=dlhiQXhCaW56cWhIMGozK1NFMTFhUT09

March 7, 2023
April 11, 2023
May 9, 2023
For more information visit www.deltaveteransgroup.org/stand-down-on-the-delta.

Filed Under: Community, East County, Military, Veterans

Mt. Diablo Beacon Lighting Ceremony Wednesday, Dec. 7

December 5, 2022 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Mount Diablo Summit Beacon. By Stephen Joseph.

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/

Filed Under: Central County, History, Military, Parks, Veterans

Why we celebrate Memorial Day: A history of the annual national commemoration

May 28, 2022 By Publisher 1 Comment

All Americans are asked to pause at 3:00 p.m. (local time) on the last Monday in May for a ‘‘National Moment of Remembrance”

Fredericksburg National Cemetery. Source: govinfo.gov

From govinfo.gov and USMemorialDay.org

Memorial Day is the national observance on the last Monday in May to honor those who sacrificed their lives while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Memorial Day commemorates the women and men who have died while in military service, and it will be observed this year on May 30, 2022, the last Monday in May as designated by Federal law (36 U.S.C. 116).

Begun in the late 1860’s as Decoration Day, spring flowers were distributed at graves to honor those fallen in the Civil War. By the end of the 19th century, ceremonies were being held in cities across the country. In 1966, the Federal Government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day. (Source: The Origins of Memorial Day, Department of Veterans Affairs )

According to History.com, “some records show that one of the earliest Memorial Day commemorations was organized by a group of formerly enslaved people in Charleston, South Carolina less than a month after the Confederacy surrendered in 1865. in 1966 the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day…which first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866…because it hosted an annual, community-wide event, during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.”

According to USMemorialDay.org, the origins of this day are difficult to prove “as over two dozen towns and cities lay claim to be the birthplace. Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War (which ended in 1865) and a desire to honor our dead. On the 5th of May in 1868, General John Logan who was the national commander of the Grand Army of the republic, officially proclaimed it in his General Order No. 11…for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.’ Because the day wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle, the general called it, the date of Decoration Day.

On the first Decoration Day, 5,000 participants decorated the graves of 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried at Arlington Cemetery while General James Garfield made a historic speech.

New York was the first state to officially recognize the holiday in 1873. It was recognized by all northern states by 1890. Differently, the South refused to acknowledge the day and honored their dead, on separate days. This went on until after World War I when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war.

With the Congressional passage of the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 – 363), it is now observed on the last Monday in May by almost every state.”

Red Poppies on Memorial Day

Also, according to USMemorialDay.org, “In 1915, inspired by the poem ‘In Flanders Fields,’ Moina Michael replied with her own poem: We cherish too, the Poppy red That grows on fields where valor led, It seems to signal to the skies That blood of heroes never dies.

She then conceived of an idea to wear red poppies on Memorial Day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need. See more on the significance of the Red Poppy.

Later a Madam Guerin from France was visiting the United States and learned of this new custom started by Ms. Michael. When she returned to France, she made artificial red poppies to raise money for war orphaned children and widowed women. This tradition spread to other countries. In 1921, the Franco-American Children’s League sold poppies nationally to benefit war orphans of France and Belgium. The League disbanded a year later, and Madam Guerin approached the VFW for help.

Shortly before Memorial Day in 1922 the VFW became the first veterans’ organization to nationally sell poppies. Two years later their ‘Buddy’ Poppy program was selling artificial poppies made by disabled veterans. In 1948 the US Post Office honored Ms. Michael for her role in founding the National Poppy movement by issuing a red 3 cent postage stamp with her likeness on it.”

Public Law 106-579, signed into law December 28, 2000, created the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance, and it designated 3:00 p.m. (local time) on Memorial Day each year as the ‘‘National Moment of Remembrance.” At this time all Americans “To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to ‘Taps’.”

Filed Under: History, Holiday, Military

Memorial Day Parade in Bay Point May 30

May 2, 2022 By Publisher Leave a Comment

By Delano Johnson, ED, Bay Point Community All-N-One

We are pleased to be celebrating our Annual Memorial Day’s Parade again which is being held on Monday, May 30, 2022, in front of the Ambrose Recreational and Park District at 3105 Willow Pass Road in Bay Point. It will commence at 9:00AM -and conclude by 12:00 Noon. We are looking forward to everyone in the community joining us.

Memorial Day remembers and honors our U.S. military men and women who died while serving during wartime.

This practice of honoring our fallen service men and women began as Decoration Day after the Civil War when families of both Union and Confederate forces began to decorate the graves of the fallen. Decoration Day eventually became Memorial Day.

Our Memorial Day’s Parade will include traditional elements beginning with prayers, tributes to our uniformed men and women and a parade performance from participants of the communities.

As a participant you may sign up to perform with us and we welcome you also to become a sponsor.

For more information about how to join us, please contact Mrs. Nelda Hills, (510)409-6123 or Mr. Charles Davies (510) 692-5706.

Filed Under: Community, East County, History, Military

Brentwood native and 2011 Liberty High grad serves aboard floating airport

February 14, 2022 By Publisher Leave a Comment

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Patricia Rodriguez, Navy Office of Community Outreach

Petty Officer 1st Class Alex Talbot of Brentwood. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Manvir Gill

NORFOLK, Va. – Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Talbot, a native of Brentwood, California, serves the U.S. Navy aboard one of the world’s largest warships, the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.

Talbot joined the Navy six years ago. Today, he serves as a machinist’s mate (nuclear).

“I joined the Navy because I wanted to see the world and have an opportunity to get out and make a difference,” said Talbot.

Growing up in Brentwood, Talbot attended Liberty High School and graduated in 2011. Today, Talbot relies upon skills and values similar to those found in Brentwood to succeed in the military.

“When I was growing up, I was on the wrestling team for six years,” said Talbot. “It taught me to have a strong work ethic and drive. It taught me to tackle any challenge placed in front of me. It also helped me understand how to achieve my own goals but also be part of a team.”

These lessons have helped Talbot while serving in the Navy.

Aircraft carriers provide unique capabilities and survivability. They are a powerful exhibition of the American Navy’s legacy of innovation, technological evolution, and maritime dominance, according to Navy officials.

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) represents the first major design investment in aircraft carriers since the 1960s. The ship is engineered to support new technologies and a modern air wing essential to deterring and defeating near-peer adversaries in a complex maritime environment. Ford delivers a significant increase in sortie generation rate, approximately three times more electrical generation capacity, and a $4 billion reduction in total life-cycle cost per ship, when compared to a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. Once deployed, the Ford-class will serve as the centerpiece of strike group operations through the 21st century, supporting a host of evolving national strategic objectives. When the air wing is embarked, the ship carries more than 70 attack fighter jets, helicopters and other aircraft, all of which take off from and land from FORD’s state-of-the-art Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG). With nearly 5,000 Sailors serving aboard, Ford is a self-contained mobile airport.

The aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford departs Naval Station Norfolk to transit to Newport News Shipyard in support of its planned incremental availability, a six-month period of modernization, maintenance and repairs, on Aug. 20, 2021. Photo by MC1 William Spears/U.S. Navy) Source: DefenseNews.com

Aircraft carriers are often the first response to a global crisis because of their ability to operate freely in international waters anywhere on the world’s oceans. Carrier strike groups have the unique advantage of mobility, making them far more strategically advantageous than fixed-site bases. No other weapon system can deploy and operate forward with a full-sized, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier’s speed, endurance, agility, and the combat capability of its air wing.

“I could not be more proud of our sailors; this crew displayed a phenomenal amount of resiliency and proficiency during each phase of our operational development,” said Capt. Paul Lanzilotta, Ford’s commanding officer. “The crew’s efforts are what make Warship 78 so great, and I can’t wait to be a part of what this mighty warship and her crew achieve in 2022.”

Since USS Langley’s commissioning 100 years ago, the nation’s aircraft carriers, such as Ford, and embarked carrier air wings have projected power, sustained sea control, bolstered deterrence, provided humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and maintained enduring commitments worldwide. Gerald R. Ford represents a generational leap in the aircraft carrier’s capacity to project power on a global scale.

“The aircraft carrier is our U.S. Navy’s centerpiece, our flagship, and a constant reminder to the rest of the world of our enduring maritime presence and influence,” said Rear Adm. James P. Downey, USN, Program Executive Officer (PEO) Aircraft Carriers. “These ships touch every part of our Navy’s mission to project power, ensure sea control, and deter our adversaries.”

According to DefenseNews.com, “The U.S. Navy has promised a first deployment for its new aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford by this fall — but that deployment won’t be a typical one…The carrier and its strike group will operate on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean alongside a long list of foreign navies…But the operations will be outside the typical Global Force Management-dictated deployment in support of the joint force.”

Serving in the Navy means Talbot is part of a team that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.

“If we didn’t have a strong naval presence out there, I don’t think there would be as much deterrence,” said Talbot. “Other countries would try to threaten the peace of other nations without consequences. I think a lot of people sleep easier knowing we’re out here.”

With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.

Talbot and the sailors they serve with have many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during their military service.

“I was selected to be the engine room supervisor during full ship shock trials,” said Talbot. “That is where they used 40,000 pounds of explosive to test how the ship would respond and handle battle damage. Out of 75 different operators, I was only one of two who were selected. My department knew that while I was on watch, the reactor plant would operate safely no matter what.”

As Talbot and other sailors continue to train and perform missions, they take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy.

“Serving in the Navy has given me an opportunity to challenge myself every day and be a part of something bigger,” added Talbot. “I enjoy serving alongside some great friends and being around some of the greatest people I have ever met.”

Filed Under: East County, Military, News

Sailor wishes her family in Pittsburg a Merry Christmas

December 24, 2021 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Kianna Carrethers aboard the guided missile destroyer USS Gravely. U.S. Navy photo 211218-N-ED646-0072 QM3 CARRETHERS.

By Megan Brown, Navy Office of Community Outreach

MILLINGTON, Tenn. – Sailors help maintain America’s advantage at sea. This means they do not always get to celebrate holidays with their loved ones. A Pittsburg, California, native serving in the United States Navy will celebrate Christmas and New Year’s with her fellow sailors aboard USS Gravely. The guided missile destroyer’s homeport is Norfolk, VA and has a crew of approximately 320.

“The holidays, to me, are a soft reminder of the strength that unity and love can bring to the people around you,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Kianna Carrethers. Traditionally, I’d be home, singing holiday favorites with my family!”

Carrethers wants family back home to know they are missed this holiday season.

“As the holidays approach, I’d like to remind my family to continue to strive for the closeness our grandparents implemented in our lives,” said Carrethers.

As a member of the U.S. Navy, Carrethers, as well as other sailors, know they are a part of a tradition providing unforgettable experiences through leadership development, world affairs and humanitarian assistance.

“Serving in the Navy is special to me because it’s a reflection of my own resiliency and determination,” added Carrethers.

USS Gravely. Source: The ship’s Facebook page

USS Gravely is one of the Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class of Aegis guided missile destroyers and is named after Vice Admiral Samuel Lee Gravely, Jr. He went from recruiting to building a Navy career that lasted 38 years and included many distinguished accomplishments. Gravely became the first African American to command a US Navy warship (THEODORE E. CHANDLER DD 717), the first African American to command an American warship under combat conditions (TAUSSIG DD 746), the first African American to command a major naval warship (JOUETT CG 29), the first African American to rise to the rank of Vice Admiral, and the first African American to command a U.S. Fleet (Commander, US 3rd Fleet).

With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Filed Under: East County, Military

Pittsburg native works on helicopters aboard USS Carl Vinson in Indo-Pacific region

December 17, 2021 By Publisher Leave a Comment

211213-N-MD461-1080 INDIAN OCEAN (Dec. 13, 2021) Aviation Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Joan Onia, left, a native of San Diego, and Aviation Machinist’s Mate Christian Salcedo, a native of Pittsburgh, Calif., assigned to the “Black Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 4, perform maintenance on a blade-fold motor in the hangar bay of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jeff D. Kempton)

By Stephanie Fox, Navy Office of Community Outreach, Media Outreach Department

Christian Salcedo in a post on his Facebook page on April 14, 2020.

Aviation Machinist’s Mate Christian Salcedo, a native of Pittsburg, CA, is assigned to the “Black Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 4, aboard the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70).

The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability through alliances and partnerships while serving as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. According to the ship’s Facebook page, the current bilateral operations in the Indian Ocean are with the Royal Australian Navy.

Homeported in San Diego, USS Carl Vinson is the third Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and one of only 11 operational aircraft carriers in the Navy today.  Sailors’ jobs are highly varied aboard Vinson. Approximately 3,000 men and women make up the ship’s company, and they keep all parts of the aircraft carrier running. They do everything from preparing meals to handling weaponry and maintaining the nuclear reactors. Another 2,000 sailors comprise the air wing, the people who fly and maintain the aircraft aboard the ship.

Vinson, like each of the Navy’s aircraft carriers, is designed for a 50-year service life. When the air wing is embarked, the ship carries more than 60 attack fighter jets, helicopters and other aircraft, all of which take launch and land aboard the carrier at sea.

USS Carl Vinson during current bilateral operations in the Indian Ocean are with the Royal Australian Navy on Dec. 16, 2021. Source: The ship’s Facebook page.

Powerful catapults slingshot the aircraft off the bow of the ship, and these same planes return to the carrier by snagging a steel cable with an arresting hook that protrudes from the rear of the aircraft. All of this makes Vinson a self-contained mobile airport and strike platform, often the first response to a global crisis because of an aircraft carrier’s ability to operate freely in international waters anywhere on the world’s oceans.

The ship was commissioned in 1982 and named after former Georgia Congressman, Carl Vinson. A member of the United States House of Representatives for 50 years, Carl Vinson was, for 29 years, the Chairman of the House Naval Affairs and Armed Services Committee.  Vinson was the principal sponsor of the so-called “Vinson Acts,” culminating in the Two-Ocean Navy Act of 1940, which provided for the massive naval shipbuilding effort in World War II.

With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Filed Under: East County, Military, News

National Wreaths Across America Day to be commemorated at Union Cemetery in Byron Saturday

December 14, 2021 By Publisher 1 Comment

To Remember, Honor, Teach about veterans dating back to the Civil War

Union Cemetery in Byron, an official Wreaths Across America (WAA) location, will host a wreath-laying ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 18, joining more than 2,800 other locations across the country. The public is invited to join military and local dignitaries, veterans, active service members and their families for the ceremony and the following laying of the wreaths.

Coordinated and led by Byron Delta Lions Club and the Anne Loucks Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, these groups are raising funds to sponsor the placement of close to 600 veterans’ wreaths on the headstones of our fallen service members laid to rest there.

Union Cemetery has been at its current location since 1878.  Veterans dating back to the Civil War will be remembered.

This year, National Wreaths Across America Day is Saturday, December 18, 2021, beginning at 9 a.m. The free event is open to all people. Attendees are asked to wear a mask.

To sponsor one or more wreaths, visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.

Union Cemetery is located at 11545 Brentwood Blvd. in Byron.

About Wreaths Across America

Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as at veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states, at sea and abroad.

About Union Cemetery

The Union Cemetery is owned and operated by the Byron-Brentwood-Knightsen Union Cemetery District, a property tax and fee-supported agency that provides efficient and dignified burial services, year-round maintenance, and preservation of interment plots. Interments are restricted to residents who pay taxes into the Cemetery District boundaries. It is governed by a three-person Board of Trustees appointed by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors.

Filed Under: East County, Military, News, Veterans

Mt. Diablo Beacon to be lit Tuesday to commemorate Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

December 6, 2021 By Publisher Leave a Comment

The Mt. Diablo Beacon. Photo by Clayton Worsdell

A day that will live in infamy, and in our hearts forever.

The Beacon was originally lit by Charles Lindbergh in 1928 to assist in the early days of commercial aviation. The Beacon shone from the summit of Mount Diablo each night until December 8, 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

It was not relit until December 7, 1964, when Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander in Chief of Pacific Forces during World War II, attended a ceremony on Mount Diablo’s summit in commemoration of the survivors of Pearl Harbor. He suggested that the beacon be lit every December 7th to honor those who served and sacrificed.

Since that day in 1964, the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and now the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors with co-sponsor Save Mount Diablo have memorialized Pearl Harbor Day by turning on the summit Beacon atop Mount Diablo. The Beacon now shines on December 7th each year.

The 2021 Beacon lighting ceremony will be on December 7th at California State University, East Bay Concord Campus. The USS Arizona viewing begins at 3:00 PM, the ceremony begins at 3:45 PM, and the Beacon lighting is at 5:00 PM. The ceremony will be outdoors.

The program begins with the posting of colors, pledge of allegiance, and national anthem, followed by opening remarks by Ted Clement, Executive Director of Save Mount Diablo and then ceremonial observations by Eddie Guaracha, Diablo Range District Superintendent for California State Parks.

Robert Phelps, PhD, Executive Director of California State University, East Bay Concord Campus will then be invited to speak. Pearl Harbor survivors in attendance will also be invited to speak. A performance of “America the Beautiful” by Erin Hegerty will follow. Then Frank Dorritie of Bugles Across America will perform “Taps.”

“The Beacon lighting is a tribute to those individuals that lost their lives at Pearl Harbor,” remarked Earl “Chuck” Kohler, one of the few remaining survivors in Contra Costa County.

The ceremony is also an opportunity to honor the survivors.

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. It has not been lit since Sunday, April 11, 2021 when Save Mount Diablo concluded a year of lighting it weekly to bring light and hope to our region during the worst of the pandemic.

Save Mount Diablo is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and nationally accredited land trust founded in 1971 with a mission to preserve Mount Diablo’s peaks, surrounding foothills, and watersheds 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 recreational opportunities consistent with the protection of natural resources. The organization is currently involved with its important year-end appeal to raise critical resources for its time-sensitive land conservation mission. To learn more and to support Save Mount Diablo, please visit www.savemountdiablo.org.

Filed Under: History, Military, News

A brief history of Veterans Day

November 11, 2021 By Publisher Leave a Comment

From military.com

Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislation that was passed in 1938, November 11 was “dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day.'” As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans.

In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress — at the urging of the veterans service organizations — amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, Nov. 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

In 1968, the Uniforms Holiday Bill ensured three-day weekends for federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. Under this bill, Veterans Day was moved to the fourth Monday of October. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holiday on its original date. The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on Oct. 25, 1971.

Finally, on September 20, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed a law which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of Nov. 11, beginning in 1978. Since then, the Veterans Day holiday has been observed on Nov. 11.

Celebrating the Veterans Day Holiday

If the Nov. 11 holiday falls on a non-workday — Saturday or Sunday — the holiday is observed by the federal government on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday). Federal government closings are established by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. State and local government closings are determined locally, and non- government businesses can close or remain open as they see fit, regardless of federal, state or local government operation determinations.

United States Senate Resolution 143, which was passed on Aug. 4, 2001, designated the week of Nov. 11 through Nov. 17, 2001, as “National Veterans Awareness Week.” The resolution calls for educational efforts directed at elementary and secondary school students concerning the contributions and sacrifices of veterans.

The difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day

Memorial Day honors servicemembers who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle. Deceased veterans are also remembered on Veterans Day but the day is set aside to thank and honor living veterans who served honorably in the military – in wartime or peacetime.

From the Herald – thank you to our military veterans for your service. We know freedom isn’t free and without your service and sacrifice Americans wouldn’t enjoy the freedoms we do, today. Remembering that and honoring you, today.

 

Filed Under: History, Military, Veterans

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