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40 | LIFE IN SOLERA | JULY 2024 | The Flags were raised in June for D Day 6/6/24, and Flag Day 6/14/24. They will be raised in July for Independence Day (7/4/24). 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: 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 wife and I returned from our thirty two day cruise to the South Pacific, the care package project has been in full swing. We have now passed the 5,300th package mailed. It could never have happened without you. You have held fund raisers, donated items, and volunteered help. I maintain a volunteers list. I text one person at a time, from the list, the day before the work is to be done, until I find someone that is free. I could use more names on the list. I need at least one or two with good painting skills, some more ladies, for prep work and packing and some guys for the heavier stuff. Many of you know the story behind the f lags that are f lown by our Flag Brigade on special holidays. The ones along our main streets are dedicated to veterans from our community. Those along the drive to the Clubhouse, around the Mail Room, tennis courts, and the large parking lot were all sent to Solera by service members in appreciation of our support. Their f lags would include a dedication certificate. When a service member would ask how I wanted the name to read, I would always tell them to dedicate it to Solera. Three service members also decided to send a second f lag to me. I display those f lags in my den. One such soldier actually sent three f lags. Chief Warrant Officer Francois Collard was the first helicopter pilot that our community supported. This was back in 2007-2008. This was a time when Army personnel were required to do 15 month tours, rather than the usual 12 months. His tour was in Iraq. Only a year prior, he had done a tour, f lying in Afghanistan. During his 15 month tour, I had spent five of the months in northern Idaho, fishing and sending care packages. CW2 Collard carried a f lag on three different missions, then dedicating one to Solera, one to me, and one to the people of the RV park. He f lew the Chinook CH47 helicopter which was introduced during the Vietnam War, and with many improvements, is still f lying today. During the time CW2 Collard was f lying it, it was the fastest helicopter we had. It can even land on water, open its rear ramp and take on motorized rubber boats full of troops. 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.

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