El Dorado County Veterans Monument

Charles Elwood Yeager was a United States Air Force officer, flying ace, and record-setting test pilot. In 1947, he became the first pilot in history confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight. Yeager's career began in World War II as a private in the United States Army Air Forces in 1941...

Veterans, we honor each of you. Thank you for your service!

On Veterans Day in El Dorado Hills, Veterans gathered to dedicate a Veterans Monument at Promontory Community Park. Here is a photo from that dedication contributed by Dave Sauve.

The USS John S. McCain embodies the absolute fighting spirit of her namesakes, and shows the resiliency of our Sailors. She has completed her maintenance period with the most up-to-date multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities, preparing her to successfully execute a multitude of high-end operations, said Capt. Steven DeMoss, commander, Destroyer Squadron 15. As a guided-missile destroyer assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15, the John S. McCain is poised and ready to contribute to the lethal and combat ready forward-deployed naval force in the free and open Indo-Pacific region. Semper Fi, Mates

Don't let the sun go down without reading this about Martha Raye. It was well recognized that Martha Raye endured less comfort and more danger than any other Vietnam entertainer. The following is from an Army Aviator who takes a trip down memory lane: "It was just before Thanksgiving '67 and we were ferrying dead and wounded from a large GRF west of Pleiku. We had run out of body bags by noon, so the Hook (CH-47 CHINOOK) was pretty rough in the back.... All of a sudden, we heard a 'take-charge' woman's voice in the rear. There was the singer and actress, Martha Raye, with a SF (Special Forces) beret and jungle fatigues, with subdued markings, helping the wounded into the Chinook, and carrying the dead aboard. 'Maggie' had been visiting her SF 'heroes' out 'west'. We took off, short of fuel, and headed to the USAF hospital pad at Pleiku. As we all started unloading our sad pax's, a 'Smart Mouth' USAF Captain said to Martha.... "Ms Ray, with all these dead and wounded to process, there would not be time for your show!" To all of our surprise, she pulled on her right collar and said ......"Captain, see this eagle? I am a full 'Bird' in the US Army Reserve, and on this is a 'Caduceus' which means I am a Nurse, with a surgical specialty....now, take me to your wounded!" He said, "Yes ma'am.... follow me." Several times at the Army Field Hospital in Pleiku, she would 'cover' a surgical shift, giving a nurse a well-deserved break. Martha is the only woman buried in the SF (Special Forces) cemetery at Ft Bragg. Hand Salute! A great lady

Flowers were planted and refreshed at the El Dorado County Veterans Monument today, in preparation for Veterans Day ceremonies. As occurred for Memorial Day (ou...t of heartfelt concern for the many senior veterans who attend these ceremonies and the continued risk of them contracting Covid-19), Veterans Day ceremonies will be pre-recorded and broadcast on this and other Facebook pages and on Comcast Cable Channel 2 (SCA-TV2) at 11 a.m. on Wed., Nov. 11. For those who wish to visit the Veterans Monument, its grounds will remain open (360 Fair Ln, Placerville) and two buckets of carnations will be there for those who wish to place a flower on the brick of a veteran. Over 2,000 El Dorado County veterans are memorialized at the Veterans Monument. More about this program is found at ElDoradoCountyVeterans.org. See more

National Veterans Day Observance The National Veterans Day Observance is held each year Nov. 11 at Arlington National Cemetery. The ceremony starts precisely at 11 a.m. with a wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns, and honors and thanks all who served in the U.S. uniformed services. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response has compelled VA and its partners (Arlington Cemetery and Military District of Washington) to host a greatly reduced ceremony this year. VA will live stream the ceremony at https://www.facebook.com/VeteransAffairs.

Worth the Read...

Support local workers and families during the covid-19 emergency: Most of us can’t dance like the Irish, but there are things we can do during the covid-19 emergency to help out both are civilian and military communities. Local businesses are struggling to stay afloat as non-essential workers have been ordered to stay at home. One way to help is to purchase a gift card to your favorite local restaurant or coffee shop with plans to use it in the future.

Suddenly it’s 1948 and another flight of Corsairs are breaking formation over my dad’s barn on top of the hills in the east SF Bay area for final approach to Oakland Naval Air Station. The Corsairs are Powered by a Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp 18-cylinder engine producing over 2000 horsepower and the sound they make has stayed with me for a lifetime. The Corsair could not only fly faster than 400mph, she was the first US single-engine fighter to do so. It was not just fast, but also incredibly deadly. One of the rarest of the rare Corsairs that had crashed in the jungle on the South Pacific Island of Espritos Marcos in 1943, which belonged to the famed Black Sheep Squadron was recently discovered and recovered is currently being rebuilt at Vultures Row Aviation in Cameron Park, California....

Big Fish Foundation: Founded by Major Brian R. Chontosh- a retired United States Marine Corps officer who was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroic actions during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Big Fish Foundation is a veteran nonprofit hosting its inaugural fundraiser. Hope you’ll check it out and help spread the word. www.bigfishfoundation.org

Folsom, California: Memorial Day 2020 Lowe's Companies, Inc. today announced a 2020 commitment of more than $4.5 million to military organizations that promote workforce development, support affordable housing for veterans and provide COVID-19 relief to first responders, as well as Memorial Day tributes in stores nationwide.

Memorial Day 2020. A big thank you to Vultures Row Aviation T-6 Formation for flying the Missing Man Formation in honor of Veterans in El Dorado County for almost two decades now, without fail. Above and beyond your average community service effort........ Thank You