Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/1513793
36 | OHCC LIVING | JANUARY 2024 | Village Vets ank you, Village Vets members and supporters, for another wonderful year! 2023 was a year of many highlights and your Board of Directors will be hard pressed to match last year's successes, but we will try our best. We started off 2023 by having another huge turnout and sign up during Do Dues Day. Many new members came on board and thankfully many current members renewed their membership. As of the end of the year, we had 214 club members! Your first sponsored event was a fantastic presentation by the President of the Army and Navy Academy, Major General Peggy Combs about the Academy's mission and how it prepares boys and girls for life. Some of the graduates will join our military but all will be leaders in life. ank you General! Next up, we went to the dogs. Literally, as we had Tommy Moore from Shelter to Soldier and his service dog conduct a presentation of what Shelter to Soldier does to help PTSD and TBI affected veterans. We all know that our furry friends save and extend lives. ank you, Tommy and his lifesaver, for making the journey to see us. In May, we had what we are now calling our Hot Dog Extravaganza! Our speaker was none other than County Supervisor, Navy Veteran, and OHCC resident Jim Desmond. Jim gave a stirring talk on citizenship and service. ank you for continuing to serve Jim! In June, thanks to Jim McDonough's leadership, we ventured off site to Camp Pendleton. While there, we visited the Marine Mechanized Museum and Gunnery Sergeant Michael J. Clark Explosive Ordnance Disposal Facility (EOD). We weren't allowed to drive tanks around or blow stuff up, but we sure had a great time. In July, we kind of went back to the dogs again. Actually, it was more like animals as Robin Hutton with Angels Without Wings gave a great talk about animals that have earned Medals of Bravery and Distinguished Service Medals. ese unsung heroes distinguished themselves for their courage and sacrifice. Also, do you realize that two award recipients are pigeons? Wow! Taking the stage for our September meeting was another OHCC resident and former Air Force Flight Test Engineer Mike Welch who focused his talk on his seven years at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base. Many of the "birds" you see defending our nation came about through Mike and his team's efforts. We concluded 2023 with three more major events. We assisted Donna Russell with our annual Veterans' Day Observance, helped the Woodchucks with another huge toy drive, and capped off the year in style with another great holiday party (thanks Sandee Lang!). So, what does the future hold for 2024? Your club has a lot of great events planned, but we also want to hear from you. What additional services, speakers or functions, would you like to see the club provide? Please let us know at the next general meeting on Jan. 25. Our speaker will be another OHCC resident, Robert Genat. It's kind of a surprise, but be ready to be dazzled by Robert's audiovisual presentation.