Veterans
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The California Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday honored five Medal of Honor recipients whom received this recognition posthumously from President Barack Obama with a very special ceremony on the West Steps of the State Capitol.
Honored and recognized on the occasion of their having received these long overdue Medals of Honor were Specialist Fourth Class Leonard L. Alvarado; Sergeant Jesus S. Duran; Sergeant First Class Eduardo C. Gomez; Private Joe Gandara and Private First Class Salvador J. Lara.
“These Medals of Honor have been a long time coming and I am most pleased that such a regrettable oversight is finally being addressed,” said CalVet Secretary Peter J. Gravett. “These men fought for our country and their fellow soldiers with bravery, commitment and patriotism and now their descendants can receive comfort in knowing they descend from authentic American heroes.”
More than 200 people gathered to witness the honors rendered to the families of these five Medal of Honor recipients.
Also on hand to honor Alvarado, Duran, Gomez, Gandara and Lara were Captain James Taylor, U.S. Army (Ret) Medal of Honor Recipient; Brigadier General Sylvia R. Crockett, California Military Department; the Honorable Richard D. Roth, California State Senate; the Honorable Rocky Chavez, California State Assembly; and the Most Reverend Jaime Soto, Bishop of Sacramento.
The California Military Department provided the appropriate music and Captain Sonya Moore, California Military Department lead the attendees in a heartfelt rendition of the national anthem.
Following the presentation of Senate/Assembly Joint Resolutions, letters from Gov. Jerry Brown and Secretary Gravett and a California state flag, the family members of these valiant five Medal of Honor recipients were welcomed at CalVet headquarters for the unveiling of the names on CalVet’s Medal of Honor Wall.
These five Californians, who served our country valiantly during World War II, the Korean War and War in Vietnam, originally received the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest military award.
In 2002, Congress, through the Defense Authorization Act, called for a review of Jewish American and Hispanic American veteran war records from WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War to ensure those deserving the Medal of Honor were not denied because of prejudice for being Jewish American and Hispanic American.
This review discovered that the records of several soldiers displayed the criteria making them worthy of the Medal of Honor.
Recognized during the ceremony were:
- Specialist Fourth Class Leonard L. Alvarado will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his courageous actions while serving as a Rifleman with Company D, 2d Battalion, 12th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) during combat operations against an armed enemy in Phuoc Long Province, Republic of Vietnam, on Aug. 12, 1969.
- Sergeant Jesus S. Duran will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his courageous actions while serving as an acting M-60 machine gunner in Company E, 2d Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) during combat operations against an armed enemy in the Republic of Vietnam, on April 10, 1969.
- Sergeant First Class Eduardo C. Gomez will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his courageous actions while serving with Company I, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division during combat operations against an armed enemy in Tabu-dong, Korea, on Sept. 3, 1950.
- Private Joe Gandara will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his courageous actions while serving with Company D, 2d Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division during combat operations against an armed enemy in Amfreville, France, on June 9, 1944.
- Private First Class Salvador J. Lara will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his courageous actions while serving as the Squad Leader of a rifle squad with 2d Platoon, Company L, 180th Infantry, 45th Infantry Division during combat operations against an armed enemy in Aprilia, Italy, on May 27 and 28, 1944.
Following the ceremony, family members and special guests were treated to a delicious lunch in CalVet’s Medal of Honor Hall sponsored by the California Veterans Benefit Fund.
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SACRAMENTO – After running data and cross-referencing files, the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) has identified more than 95,000 California veterans, or their heirs, who have more than $36 million in unclaimed property and cash being held by the state of California.
Following Gov. Brown’s directive to work more closely with state agencies and departments to better serve California veterans, CalVet Secretary Peter J. Gravett joined with State Controller John Chiang on Friday to announce the findings of this new partnership.
Under a partnership agreement between the State Controller’s Office and CalVet, the department found 95,305 veterans that may have unclaimed property at the Controller’s Office waiting to be claimed.
According to the data run CalVet completed, the veterans have more than $36.3 million available to claim with an average value of approximately $300.
“As Americans who enjoy the freedoms provided by their service, we support those who wear and have worn the uniform,” said Chiang. “As thanks for their duty and sacrifice, we strive to continually look for opportunities to do more for our fighting men and women. This includes this latest partnership between CalVet and my office to return tens of millions of dollars to California’s veterans.”
“The CalVet mission is to serve our state’s veterans and their families and help them connect with the benefits and services they have earned through their honorable service in the U.S. Military,” said Secretary Gravett. “This latest effort is just one of our ways to make sure our veterans are served well.”
“When someone serves in the military, many times they move around a lot and family heirlooms are forgotten, utility deposits are ignored and things get lost. This cooperative effort will help thousands of California veterans recover their forgotten, lost or misplaced valuables,” said Gravett.
Gravett noted that in order to preserve the confidentiality of the veterans’ records, CalVet will be sending letters over the next several months directly to the veterans notifying them of the unclaimed property program.
California’s Unclaimed Property Law was passed in 1959 to protect consumers by preventing businesses from keeping unclaimed property, using it as business income, losing it through mergers or bankruptcies, or drawing it down by fees.
After losing contact with an owner for at least three years, businesses are required to send unclaimed or abandoned property to the State for safekeeping until the owner or heirs can be found and the property claimed.
The most common types of unclaimed property include cash or assets abandoned in bank accounts, terminated insurance policies, forgotten utility deposits, and stocks and bonds.
Other types of unclaimed property include precious valuables or collector’s items found abandoned in safe deposit boxes.
As controller, Chiang has returned nearly $3 billion in unclaimed cash and 235 million stock shares to its rightful owners, and wants to make sure that our veterans are claiming every dollar owed to them of the $7.1 billion available.
One of Controller Chiang’s proudest highlights was returning a lost Congressional Medal of Honor and Navy Cross to the family of Lieutenant Commander Jackson Charles Pharris, who received the awards for acts of bravery during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Also, the new eClaim feature in the Unclaimed Property program allows unclaimed property owners to claim single-owner accounts worth up to $500 without the “paper and snail-mail” process.
More than 18 million accounts are eligible to be claimed through eClaim, and property owners can expect to receive payments within 14 days.
Since launching eClaim in late January, the controller has returned more than $5 million with an average wait time of approximately 10 days.
Visit eClaim at http://sco.ca.gov/upd.html .
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SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Mariko Yamada (D-Davis) has been reappointed to the Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs by Speaker Toni Atkins.
“I am delighted to return to a seat on the Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs, and wish to thank Speaker Toni G. Atkins for the honor of this reappointment,” said Yamada. “I look forward to working on legislation and programs that support veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much for all of us.”
Yamada previously served on the Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs from 2009 until 2013 and represents the Fourth Assembly District which includes the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon and a Veterans Home in Yountville.
Yamada is the chair of Aging and Long Term Care Committee as well as a member of the Assembly Committees on Agriculture; Housing and Community Development; and Water, Parks and Wildlife.
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SAN ANTONIO – Air Force Airman Daniel J. Gerber graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
Gerber is a 2010 graduate of Yuba Community College, Clearlake.
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WASHINGTON D.C. – A bipartisan amendment co-authored by U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) that provides the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with additional resources to address the claims backlog unanimously passed the U.S. House of Representatives this past week.
Thompson’s amendment redirects an additional $10 million to pay for programs like the Veterans Claims Intake Program, the centralized mail initiative, and staff overtime.
“No one who has served our country in uniform should have to wait, in some cases more than a year, for the benefits they’ve earned because the VA is backlogged,” said Thompson. “This amendment will help make sure the VA has the recourses they need to get our veterans their benefits in a timely manner.”
Currently, new claims by veterans can take almost 300 days to process, delaying access to care and benefits.
Many California veterans in the Fifth Congressional District are serviced by the Oakland Regional Office which has average backlog of 385 days.
The Oakland Regional Office’s claims backlog is one of the longest claims in the country.
The funding provided in the amendment co-authored by Thompson provides additional resources to address the claims backlog.
California Reps. Jim Costa (D-CA), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), and Jeff Denham (R-CA) also co-authored the amendment.
The amendment passed the House as part of H.R. 4486, the 2015 Military Construction/Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act. H.R. 4486 now goes to the Senate for approval.
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SACRAMENTO – A George Runner proposal to protect California’s disabled veterans won backing from a key legislative panel Thursday, when the Senate Governance and Finance Committee voted 7-0 to back SB 1113.
The measure, authored by Senator Steve Knight (R-Antelope Valley), would help ensure that disabled veterans who encounter bureaucratic delays can still claim a key property tax exemption.
“Disabled veterans should not miss out on tax benefits to which they are entitled just because the federal government, for whatever reason, is unable to give them their 100% disability rating in a timely manner,” said Runner.
Under California law, veterans who receive a 100% disability rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) may be eligible for a property tax exemption on the value of their home up to $124,932 or $187,399 in 2014 and equivalent amounts adjusted for inflation in future years.
The exemption starts on the date of disability and disabled veterans may claim a refund for up to four years of back taxes paid.
Unfortunately, due to VA backlogs, some veterans have had to wait more than four years to receive their disability rating certifications.
As a result, they’ve missed out on thousands of dollars in property tax refunds to which they were entitled and anticipated receiving.
SB 1113 would increase the availability of refunds on taxes previously paid from four years to eight years, allowing veterans to receive the full benefit of their exemption, even if the rating process takes more than four years to complete.
“Veterans who are disabled as a direct result of serving our country shouldn’t be penalized for delays over which they have no control,” said Knight. “I commend my colleagues for backing SB 1113 to ensure disabled veterans have access to the tax benefits they deserve.”
The measure also won unanimous support from the Senate Veterans Committee at its April 8 hearing. In addition, the full Board of Equalization voted to sponsor SB 1113 at its March 25 meeting, and the measure has also received support from the California Assessors’ Association, California Taxpayers Association and Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.
Elected in November 2010, George Runner represents more than nine million Californians as a member of the State Board of Equalization.
For more information, visit www.boe.ca.gov/Runner .
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Gov. Jerry Brown has announced the appointment of Coby Petersen, 50, of Wilton, as the deputy secretary of Veterans Homes at the California Department of Veterans Affairs.
Petersen is a retired U.S. Army Colonel. He was the senior army advisor to the U.S. Army Adjutant General of California from 2010 to 2014, chief of future operations in the 3rd U.S. Army, Kuwait from 2009 to 2010 and brigade and battalion commander of the U.S. Army 174th Infantry Brigade from 2006 to 2009.
Petersen was the deputy fire support coordinator for the 3rd Marine Division, U.S. Pacific Command from 2003 to 2006 and served in multiple positions for the 1st Infantry Division, Germany of the U.S. Army from 2000 to 2003, including battalion executive officer and chief of plans officer in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
He served as brigade personnel officer in the Theater Support Brigade from 1998 to 2000, battalion fire support officer in the 5-87th infantry battalion from 1996 to 1998, training officer in Fifth Army West from 1994 to 1996 and served in various other positions for the U.S. Army from 1987 to 1994.
"Mr. Petersen is a welcome addition to the Veterans Homes of California,” said CalVet Undersecretary for Veterans Homes Diane Vanderpot. “His experience and management expertise will assist us in continuing our history of service to California’s veterans."
The Department operates eight veterans homes in the state including the veterans home in Yountville that was established in 1884 and the newest homes in Fresno and Redding which were opened in October of last year. The homes are opened to veterans over the age of 55 or disabled.
Information regarding the application process, levels-of-care and other benefits can be found at the CalVet Web site at www.calvet.ca.gov .
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ABC's “Shark Tank,” the critically acclaimed, business-themed television show is continuing the search for the best entrepreneurs with the best businesses and products that America has to offer.
The Emmy-nominated show features The Sharks – tough, self-made, millionaire/billionaires who give budding entrepreneurs a chance to make their dreams come true and become successful – and possibly wealthy, business people.
Producers are currently looking for military veterans with a great product or business in need of an investment for a possible special Veterans Day episode.
To apply, send an e-mail to
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Navy Seaman Matthew Azevedo, son of Patrick J. Azevedo of Maxwell, Calif., recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill.
During the eight-week program, Azevedo completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis also was placed on physical fitness.
The capstone event of boot camp is “Battle Stations.” This exercise gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet.
“Battle Stations” is designed to galvanize the basic warrior attributes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through the practical application of basic Navy skills and the core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. Its distinctly ''Navy'' flavor was designed to take into account what it means to be a Sailor.
Azevedo is a 2013 graduate of Maxwell High School, Maxwell, Calif.
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