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44 | LIFE IN SOLERA | JANUARY 2024 | The flags were raised in December for Pearl Harbor Day on Dec. 7. The flags will be raised in January for Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 15. 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. Contact Nick Gercis for the Flag Brigade at nick.gercis@ gmail.com. To all veterans, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE! Flag schedule for 2024 Martin Luther King Day: Mon., Jan. 15 President's Day: Mon., Feb. 19 Viet Nam War Veterans Day: Fri., March 29 Armed Forces Day: Fri., May 18 Memorial Day: Mon., May 27 D Day: Thurs., June 6 Flag Day: Fri., June 14 Independence Day: Thurs., July 4 Labor Day: Mon., Sept. 2 Patriots Day: Mon., Sept. 11 National POW/MIA Day: Fri., Sept. 20 Veterans Day: Sat., Nov. 11 Pearl Harbor Day: Thurs., Dec. 7 The holidays are over. We have touched a lot of our service personnel. In our eighteen years, our package number has reached 5,200 packages. If we estimate that an average of six soldiers received something from each package, then we have touched 31,200 people. On behalf of all these men and women serving our country, I wish to thank you. We started early by including blank Christmas cards in packages, in time for soldiers to send them home. Next we gathered in all the hand written Christmas cards that people had written. Some came from a group in Idaho, a few were from our neighboring communities, also four grade schools contributed, but most were from residents of Solera. We exceeded last year's total by 300 cards. We sent a total of 1,416 cards, to 26 units. Lastly, we mailed large boxes of Christmas decorations. All I can say is WOW! I have so many memories of soldiers who I have met along the way. Sergeant Isreal Haggerty was one. We supported his outfit in 2007 when fighting was still going on in Iraq. Isreal was married, had a wife and three children back in Baltimore, Maryland. He loved the Army, he loved his hometown of Baltimore, and he loved children in general. His secondary duties, was as the Chaplin's Assistant. We hit it off, right away. When I went out on my own at age 18, I had gone to Baltimore. In a suburb of Baltimore, is where I met my future bride, Linda. Isreal and I had so many things in common, from Baltimore's local cooking spices to Gordon's Crab House, that we had both visited. As his unit followed the fighting, they settled in one of the most dangerous areas in Iraq. That was the City of Mosel. Receiving sniper fire was not uncommon. We began sending him things that he would give out to the children. They ranged from toys to clothing. Isreal said all of his time in Iraq was worthwhile when he was able to visit the nearby ruins of Saint Elijah's Monastery. He spoke of kneeling in front of the alter inside, and praying. He was one of the early soldiers to send Solera a flag in appreciation, that he had flown over his compound. I was able to photoshop a picture of the monastery. Thank you for caring. ~ Jesse Donardt SUPPORT OUR TROOPS VETERAN ASSISTANCE FLAG BRIGADE 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.