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40 | LIFE IN SOLERA | JUNE 2024 | The Flags were raised in May for Viet Nam War Veterans Day. The Flags will be raised in June for D Day (6/6/24), and Flag Day (6/14/24). 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: 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! Since my 32 day cruise to the South Pacific ended the first week of May, we have been playing catch up. I have been calling on lots of supporters that physically help me, as well as those who donate needed items. While I was cruising the warm waters of the South Pacific I did not forget our troops. I did send them emails and photos. I even picked up a couple of new military units to support. According to our Cruise Captain, we had just over 100 different nationalities working aboard the ship. A number of employees were from the Philippines. This started me thinking of a couple of our soldiers from the past. Back in 2009, we began supporting a young female Army Specialist, Kellye Deavers, in Kirkuk, Iraq. During some of my early emails, I learned she was from San Bernardino. We had lots that we could talk about. As time went on, she told me of meeting a young Army Sergeant, Alex Ortiz, who was from the Philippines. As their relationship grew, she explained their problem. He being a SGT E-5 and her being a lower rank of SPC E-4, they were not supposed to be romantically involved. But they managed, so much so that they were considering marriage. They each had a 30- day leave coming. When each requested their leaves, they were able to get it for the same dates. They planned to take 15 days to visit his family in the Philippines and then 15 days to visit her family in San Bernardino. Young Kellye was worried as she did not speak any Spanish, and Alex's parents did not speak any English. It just happened that someone had donated us some "Beginners Spanish" lessons on CDs. She was able to practice for several months before going on their leaves together. They did get married after their tour in Iraq. In 2014, I ran across Kellye again on Facebook. She had remained in the Army, but sadly the marriage with Alex had not lasted. Oh well, we tried. I have been trying to find an excuse for including one of my South Sea's photos. The best I can do is: Maybe a WWII soldier may have been able to have this view. Thanks 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.