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28 | OHCC LIVING | APRIL 2025 | Village Vets Who is a Veteran? Dening the Honor, We Share My bride and the Household CINC (Commander-In-Chief) came home a few days ago and told me about yet another WW2 veteran who lives in our village that we didn't know about. When my wife asked his wife why we didn't know, she said he didn't serve long. Well, that bothered the hell out of me, hence what follows: e title "veteran" is oen worn with pride, yet many who have served hesitate to claim it. ey may feel their service wasn't enough or that they haven't earned the honor. But the truth is, a veteran is anyone who has served in the armed forces — regardless of their role, the length of service, or the nature of their deployment. e honor comes not from the specics of one's experience but from answering the call to serve. Service in the military, whether in combat or support roles, is a vital contribution to the greater mission of protecting our nation and its values. Some veterans may never have seen combat, but their dedication in training, maintaining equipment, or ensuring logistics were key to the success of military operations. Every role mattered, and no service is less. It's easy to compare one's experience to others and feel that it wasn't "enough," but every veteran has been part of something bigger than themselves — a shared commitment to our country and its ideals. e bond we share as veterans is not about who did more or faced the greatest danger; it's about recognizing that we all contributed to a noble cause. To those who feel they haven't earned the title: if you've served, you are a veteran. Your honor is not in the medals or combat experience, it is in the service itself. You belong with us, and your contribution, no matter how big or small, is worthy of recognition. I'll get o my soapbox now with one brief note. For certain VA benets, there are some restrictions. For membership in the Ocean Hills Village Vets, there are none. We welcome all! A nal but very important note, we have arranged a special RSVP only meeting that will feature a presentation by two experts in long-term care insurance and VA Aid and Attendance. e meeting will be held in the Lamia Room from 10 am to 12 pm on April 15. To RSVP for this meeting, please send an email to bechillnavy@gmail.com or call me at (209) 663-5088. First come, rst serve and we will cut it o at the rst 30 members. Written by Bob Bechill Preparations are under way for our Spring Concert "Reection on Life and Love" to be performed on Sun., June 1 in Abravanel Hall at 2 pm. Rehearsals began approximately two months ago, and we are all working hard so that we can give you our best performances. e concert will consist of a lot of wonderful new material as well as some of our repertoire of audience favorites that we have performed in the past. Even those that we have performed in the past have some new twists to them which promise to be a great day of music for all who attend as well as those of us who will be performing. I am so looking forward to the concert. I know I have said this before, but it bears repeating. New singers and supporters are always welcome. You don't have to be a singer as there are a lot of other things that are necessary to operate the Chorale and to present our concerts. Our rehearsals are on ursdays from 10:15 am until 12 pm. If you haven't joined yet, and think you might be interested, come to a rehearsal and see if it is for you. Even if you have never sung in a group before, you might really enjoy being part of such a great group of people. We do work hard but we also have a great deal of fun. Written by Jack Shabel Choral Society