| OHCC LIVING | JUNE 2023 | 37
Village Vets
On Sun., April 30, a surprise "Welcome Home" party for Bob
(Smitty) Smith was held at the OHCC Clubhouse. Bob was returning
from Washington D.C. and his San Diego Honor Flight. He was the
first OHCC Vietnam Veteran to receive this honor. Lots of Bob's
admirers were on hand, as well as good food and a fun time. Honor
Flights are made available at no cost to veterans who have served our
country during time of war. The veterans are flown to Washington
for a weekend and visit the monuments that are dedicated to veterans
of all wars.
We had a great Village Veterans Club General Meeting on May 25
and hot dog luncheon, for our paid members. Our speaker was OHCC
resident, a Navy veteran, our own San Diego County Supervisor, Jim
Desmond.
The scheduled speaker for our July 27 meeting will be Robin
Hutton, from the Camp Pendleton Historical Society, who will be
talking about Sgt Reckless and other military animals. Sgt Reckless
is considered America's greatest war horse and is the only horse in
U.S. history to be promoted to the rank of sergeant. Reckless was a
small mare who, during the Korean War, would carry ammunition to
the front lines and then carry wounded soldiers back to safety. She
did this mostly by herself while under heavy enemy fire. Robin has
written two books: Sgt Reckless: America' s War Horse and War
Animals: e Unsung Heroes of World War II.
We are still planning a June 21 Camp Pendleton off-site trip for
our club members. The trip will include the Mechanized Museum, a
lunch and a visit to the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Museum.
We think this will be a great trip.
When you need a new flag or holder, please contact Bob Saint
Laurent at (336) 509-8788. He can help. We only ask for a donation
to cover our costs.
