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What is the Flag Brigade and what does it do? The Flag Brigade is a group of volunteers that raise and lower the flags in Solera. This is usually done at about 6 am in the morning. A total of 55 flags are placed at The Clubhouse, along Fairway Drive, Golf Club Drive, and on a few streets on the west side. Currently, there are six members: Wayne Otte, Jack Clark, Ron Selberg, Stuart Osborne, George Vawter, and Nick Gercis. We raise the flags during the year to commemorate certain historical events and important dates. This has been done for many years in Solera. We also monitor the weather when the flags are up to prevent damage to them (mostly from high winds). We often add a day or two before and/or after the dates listed below to keep from raising or lowering the flags on a weekend. Following is the schedule on which the flags are displayed: Martin Luther King Day: Third Monday in January Presidents Day: Third Monday in February Viet Nam War Veterans Day: 29th of March Armed Forces Day: Third Saturday in May Memorial Day: Last Monday in May D Day: June 6 Flag Day: June 14 Independence Day: July 4 Labor Day: First Monday in September Patriots Day: Sept. 11 POW MIA Day: Third Friday in September Veterans Day: Nov. 11 Pearl Harbor Day: Dec. 7 Although the current political divide is causing hate and animosity, we must find a way to unite. After all, we have common ground, we live in the greatest country in the world. God Bless the Stars and Stripes, and the nation and people it represents! 38 | LIFE IN SOLERA | AUGUST 2023 | 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. This article is not a "flowery one," but one that is important and necessary. Raising funds for postage for our troop care package project is a necessary evil. I will be asking a number of you for your help, in putting on another Troop Fundraiser Garage Sale. Solera will be holding its semi-annual garage sale on Sat., Sept. 16. We have done well on the two prior Troop Garage Sales. Again, Ron and Debbie Monroe have offered their residence for the sale. Very few buyers come by my home. Ron and Debbie's residence at 911 Glen Eagles Road is a super location, and they are a super couple for hosting it. If you have any suitable items, large or small, that you can donate for the sale, we sure can use them. Check your cupboards, closets, garage and storage. Did you have a garage sale in the past and still have some leftover items? Items should be clean and working. If you have larger items that you can't deliver, contact me, we will be having trucks with helpers scheduled to pick up the larger things the day before the sale. If you have smaller items that you can put in boxes, you can deliver them to my house, starting Sat., Sept. 9, a week before the sale. We will be pricing these items in my garage. We will be needing volunteers with trucks and able- bodied helpers for the pickups. Helpers, who have had lots of garage sale experience, will be needed at my garage for pricing of the smaller things. We will need folding tables starting the day prior. Volunteers to work the day of the sale is so important. We will need most of these starting from 6 am, for putting out the items and the first couple of hours after the sale starts at 8 am. Starting on Aug. 1, when this article comes out, is not too early to start planning. If you can help, have any suggestions, or questions, please call, text, email or visit me at (951) 892-6635, jdd39@verizon. net, or 996 Ironwood Road. Thank you for caring. ~ Jesse Donardt SUPPORT OUR TROOPS VETERAN ASSISTANCE FLAG BRIGADE