Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/1544003
| LIFE IN SOLERA | APRIL 2026 | 33 When our military is involved with heavy-duty activity, as they have been in Iran lately, communication from our units becomes very sparse … even from military units a long way from the action. With Solera supporting our service members for 20 years, this situation has happened before. Our support will not slow down. In fact, it will increase. In addition to the people within Solera and surrounding communities who have expressed wishes to provide extra support during these times, we even have someone from out- of-state contacting us. There is a couple who used to live in Cherry Valley who contacted me from their new home in northern Idaho. For several years, this lady and her church group have written Christmas cards, boxed them up, and mailed them to us. These cards have always been included with those that we send to the service members each year. She messaged me, saying she wanted to give to our soldiers during these trying times. She then had six packages of granola bars shipped to my address via Amazon. We currently have about six units that are serving in the countries that have been hit by Iran. Of course the chances of them being affected directly is small, but I still worry. It always gives me great pleasure when we can reach out to a service member that has a connection with someone in Solera. So, if any of you, especially you "younger 55+ residents" know of someone serving overseas, or about to go overseas, do let me know. I also invite you to stop by the community troop bulletin board on the wall near the kitchen. The board gets changed every month with new photos and messages from our service members. Don't forget to visit, call, text, or email me if you have questions or suggestions. My contact information is jdd39@verizon.net, (951) 892-6635, and 996 Ironwood Road. Thank you for caring. ~ Jesse Donardt, (951) 892-6635 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. The Flags were raised in March for Viet Nam War Veterans Day, March 27 - 30. 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 – Nick Gercis, nick.gercis@gmail.com. Flag schedule for 2026 Armed Forces Day: Sat., May 16 (up 5/15, down 5/18) Memorial Day: Mon., May 25 (up 5/23, down 5/26) D Day: Thurs., June 6 (up 6/5, down 6/8) Flag Day: Fri., June 14 (up 6/12, down 6/15) Independence Day: Thurs., July 4 (up 7/3, down 7/6) Labor Day: Mon., Sept. 1 (up 9/4, down 9/8) Patriots Day: Mon., Sept. 11 (up 9/11, down 9/14 National POW/MIA Day: Fri., Sept. 20 (up 9/18, down 9/21) Veterans Day: Sat., Nov. 11 (up 11/10, down 11/13 Pearl Harbor Day: Thurs., Dec. 7 (up 12/4, down 12/8)