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44 | LIFE IN SOLERA | MAY 2024 | The Flags were raised in March for Viet Nam War Veterans Day. The Flags will be raised in May for Armed Forces Day (5/18/24) and Memorial Day (5/27/24). 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 is Nick Gercis at nick.gercis@gmail.com. Upcoming Flag Schedule: 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. To all veterans, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE! Many of you know the story of how my wife Linda and her lady friends mailed the first packages to an Army Second Lieutenant and his entire platoon serving in Iraq. It was only then that I took over the project. First off, I wanted to make a package insert to go in each package. A Solera lady with excellent computer skills helped design the insert. The graphics were mostly her Idea. The message inside was mine. If you can read the very first line of the message, in the photo, it says, "This package is given to you with love by the members of the Solera Residential Community." This flyer and message has gone out in each and every package sent, since our earliest days. As we needed an address and email for the service members to respond, I listed myself as the Project Coordinator. I have never considered the care packages as coming from me, but from the people of Solera. This care package program is your program. It could not be done without you. On behalf of all the men and women, we have supported over these 19 years, I wish to thank you. I was never proficient with computers, especially in the early days. I began keeping the service member's records on a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" card, also designed by that same lady. I have never modernized my record keeping, and I am too old to change now. I only keep cards on service members, that I have had a special rapport with. Some cards are paper clipped together, when we have supported them on two or three tours. One such pair of cards is from an Army Blackhawk Helicopter Pilot who flew MEDEVAC missions. In 2015 during the first part of his tour, we were supporting him in Kuwait. The last half of his tour was in Afghanistan. He was now flying in a shooting war. He still had time to describe his flights, the snow covered mountains and even write a letter to a Beaumont school class that had written him Christmas cards. In between tours, we exchanged messages with him at his Georgia home. In 2020/21 he flew his MEDEVAC Blackhawk in Iraq. His flag, dedicated to Solera, is one of those flags that flies on special days. 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.