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| LIFE IN SOLERA | MAY 2026 | 33 For years, Solera's Quilting Club has been a supporter of the Support Our Troops care package project. This is the second year that the club has made a quilt to be raff led off at the Craft Fair. I wish to thank each and every member of the club. These proceeds, along with any other monies raised goes 100 percent for postage. The photo, with this article, is of the Quilter's station at the Craft Fair. Again, Quilters, THANK YOU for all your support over these years. These are very trying times, due to the war that is going on with Iran. Mail and packages are sporadic at best for our military, serving in the Middle East. We have been supporting a number of units in several of these countries. We are also supporting four, out of the six, Coast Guard Cutters, patrolling the Persian Gulf between Bahrain and Iran. As one of the Chief Petty Officers informed me, "I may not have time to write, but I do pass on your messages to our crew." It is my sincerest hope that by the time you read this article in May, that all hostilities have come to an end. In the meantime, we are still supporting groups outside of the Middle East also. Here is a little about three of them. Captain David Craig is an Army Chaplin, currently serving with a medical group in Germany. Often, when soldiers need extensive care, they are sent to Germany. We supported Chaplin Craig back in 2023, when he was in Poland. Master Sergeant Warren Taylor and his section of 40 Airmen are currently in Okinawa, Japan. He was a Technical Sergeant, in South Korea, back in 2017/18 when we supported him before. Army Staff Sergeant Taylor Gilyard is part of a fifty person construction company in Djibouti, Africa. For over ten years, as each unit is about to rotate back home, they introduce me to their replacement and support continues on. Our program, now in its 20th year, could not have been accomplished without the people of Solera. 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 February for President's Day. They were raised in March for Viet Nam War Veterans Day. 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)