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| LIFE IN SOLERA | JULY 2022 | 23 Over the years, service members have sent me various items to show their appreciation for our support and remembering them in far off lands. It may be something as small as a bookmark, a little 3'" x 5" American flag that a Soldier carried in his pocket on a combat mission, some military patches that go on their combat clothing, to larger items. I have displayed a number of the smaller items in my study/office or in my garage. A few items, such as an authentic Afghan cap and an Afghan rug (the size of a hallway runner), are tucked away in a closet. We have gotten quite a few 3' x 5' flags, that our Flag Brigade displays each time they put up flags in our community. Some units have large, heavy coins/medals made, for their members. I have thirteen of these, as well as three plaques. From my desk, I can see a number of these things. In my garage I have a number of items displayed. One is the small Afghan rug, designed by some Marines and a small Afghan flag, signed by members of an Army unit. For about ten years, we have supported Coast Guard units posted in Bahrain. Some were shore based units, while others served aboard small gunboat type cutters. We supported the crews aboard the Adak, named after an Alaskan island, for six years. During that time, they send us several things. Some are displayed in the garage. On a side note, when the thirty plus year old Adak, along with the Aquidneck, another cutter we had supported, were decommissioned, they were donated to Ukraine. Their crews were trained in the U.S. and the cutters arrived a couple of months before Russia invaded. We are now supporting three of the new, larger, cutters that have replaced the older ones. These cutters are named for notable Coast Guard personnel of the past. The Cutter, Robert Goldman was named for a Guardsman who served in the Pacific, during World War II. One of several items they have sent us, is a poster, depicting Goldman, and the cutter. The poster is also displayed in my garage. The next time you visit my house, I would love to show you some of these items. Thank you for caring. ~ Jesse Donardt SUPPORT OUR TROOPS VETERAN ASSISTANCE Billy (Mitch) Mitchell is a resident and Veteran who has voluntarily worked with individuals and the Veterans Administration to assist Veterans in obtaining benefits. If you are a Veteran and want to know which benefits you may be eligible for, contact Mitch at (951) 797-0800. The flags were raised on Mon., June 6 for D-Day, and on Tues., June 14 for Flag Day. The flags will be raised on July 4th for Independence Day. Thank you to those few dedicated resident volunteers who are up "at the crack of dawn" on these special days to put up and take down our flags. The contact for the Flag Brigade is Nick Gercis at nick.gercis@gmail.com. When you see the flags out in the community, take a minute and look at the columns or poles that they are mounted on. There are plaques mounted for each flag. They contain information on service members (some that are family members of Solera residents), service members that donated flags (some flown at military facilities, including overseas), and some plaques that honor those that have passed. We fly the flags to thank and honor all those who have served, are serving, and will serve to protect our freedom. Jesse Donardt is a resident of Solera and someone who cares for our troops overseas. Jesse collects things that our troops need and enhances the morale and well-being of these troops worldwide by shipping care boxes containing items specifically requested by them. Please support Jesse and the SUPPORT OUR TROOPS program. Jesse can be reached on his cell phone at (951) 892-6635. To all Veterans, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE! Billy (Mitch) Mitchell is a resident and Veteran who has voluntarily worked with individuals and the Veterans Administration (VA) in order to assist Veterans in obtaining Veteran benefits. If you are a Veteran and interested in finding out which benefits you may be eligible to obtain, contact Mitch at (951) 797-0800. FLAG BRIGADE

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