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44 | LIFE IN SOLERA | FEBRUARY 2024 | The flags were raised in January for Martin Luther King Day. The flags will be raised for Presidents Day on Feb. 19. 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 for the Flag Brigade. See this page for other Veteran news and services. Flag schedule for 2024 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 May I tell you about a Soldier and a Marine, father and son, both serving in Afghanistan? I first made contact with Army Master Sergeant James Fortune during the first part of January, 2009. It was not his first tour there. He was a more mature man, as he would be retiring from the Army shortly after returning stateside from this tour. We exchanged quite a few emails and I had sent him and his men quite a few packages and cards. During his tour, he let me know that his son was a Marine Sergeant and had also been sent to Afghanistan. I volunteered to send his son a care package. This was to be the first of three fathers and sons that I have had the honor of supporting. So I began a relationship with the father and son at the same time. I must digress a bit here. I had sometime earlier received a folding combat knife from a Solera resident who wished that the knife be sent to a Marine. It had belonged to his now deceased Marine son. I had sent the knife to a Marine Staff Sergeant in Kuwait. When the Staff Sergeant was about to return stateside, he returned the knife to me that I might pass it on to another Marine. After I had gotten to know Master Sergeant James Fortune's son Jason well enough, I passed the knife on to him. After he had kept the knife for a couple of months, he asked if he could keep it. I was happy to give him my blessings. Now back to the father. When he returned to the states, we stayed in contact. He settled in Hope Mills, North Carolina, after the military. He became a County Deputy Sheriff. The flag he sent to our community flies on those special holidays when the flags cover our community. May I say, on behalf of all the service men and women, we have supported, 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.