DEAR EDITOR:
Veterans Day this year is celebrated on Tuesday, Nov. 11. Each
year the Veterans of Gilroy gather at the South Santa Clara Valley
War Memorial District Building, 74 West 6th Street, to recognize
all Veterans from all services
– the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and Merchant
Marines. All members of the community are invited to attend and
recognize these veterans at 11:11 a.m.
DEAR EDITOR:
Veterans Day this year is celebrated on Tuesday, Nov. 11. Each year the Veterans of Gilroy gather at the South Santa Clara Valley War Memorial District Building, 74 West 6th Street, to recognize all Veterans from all services – the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines. All members of the community are invited to attend and recognize these veterans at 11:11 a.m.
Those who are veterans or widows, or wives of veterans, regardless of whether they served in combat or not, are invited to attend the services and the membership drive and Gilroy Veterans Flagpole Fund Donation Drive on Thursday, Nov. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in front of the Gilroy Wal-Mart store, 7900 Arroyo Circle. Post commanders and veteran service officers will be on hand to assist you and take your membership applications. It should be a source of pride to be a member of at least one of the veterans organizations in the Gilroy area. At the small cost to join it is an inexpensive way to help veterans and the community as well.
I am alarmed at the amount of veterans residing in and around Gilroy who do not belong to a veterans organization. Yet, when the time comes they want “full honors” at graveside. We still need those people to serve and many can help us and are shirking their responsibility to help when help is most needed. Please contact the local commanders for more information.
The names and phone numbers are listed on the front of the Veterans Building on West 6th Street.
If you have your discharge documents (DD-214) bring it with you, forms to apply for your DD-214 will be available at Wal-Mart. This is one of the forms you must have to be intured at no cost in a National Cemetery and for any qualifying survivor to receive any government benefits. Each member of the services who has served honorably is entitled to an “honors service” which includes a 21-gun salute, taps and burial flag at time of death. Military and fire department grave markers may be used in civilian cemeteries and are for sale from Habing Funeral Home.
The honors service can be provided upon request and the local VFW/American Legion Honor Guard (VFW Post 6309 and American Legion Post 217) is certified to provide these services by the Department of Defense.
On Nov. 9 we will be accepting donations for the “Gilroy Veterans Flagpole Fund.” Applications for individual brick pavers in the amount of $200 or more will also be taken. Become a part of the Gilroy monument to veterans by having your family name or individual name on a brick paver at the site. Call 842-4903 for details.
The “Gilroy Veterans Flagpole Fund” monument will be dedicated to all veterans – those who have served, those who are serving, and those who will serve! Donations received to date range from $3 up to $25,000, but any amount will be greatly appreciated. Our goal of $70,000 must be reached in order to complete the project. We have about two-thirds and wish to thank all of the various individuals, businesses and associations for the contributions. Anticipated completion date will be Memorial Day 2004, but we must have 90 percent of the total cost by Dec. 15 to put the project up for bid.
If you ever served in the military, have/had someone you know serve, or have/had a loved one serve, this is one way to commemorate that service. If you never served, or could not serve, think of this as one way to thank those who served and protected your freedoms.
In case of inclement weather, the Veterans Day Service will be held inside the Veterans Building.
Wayne Cegelske,
Gilroy, U.S. Army, Retired
Submitted Tuesday, Nov. 4
