On July 27, 2023, the 73rd anniversary of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and United States of America Alliance and the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice were proudly commemorated at the California Veterans Home in Yountville. Two separate ceremonies were held at Holderman Hall and Grant Hall.
Over 80 Korean War Veterans were honored and presented with certificates of appreciation from ROK, US Representative Mike Thompson, and CA State Senator Bill Dodd and CA Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry.
Speeches were delivered by Lisa Peake, Yountville Home Administrator and Colonel US Army Retired; Sang-soo Yoon, ROK Consul General in San Francisco; Luca Moretti of US Representative Thompson’s Napa office; and Alex Pader of CA Senator Dodd’s Napa office.
From left are: Nestor Aliga, event co-planner of Manuel L. Quezon Post 603; Alex Pader; Luca Moretti; Lisa Peake, Yountville Home Administrator and Colonel US Army Retired; Sang-soo Yoon, ROK Consul General in San Francisco; Joshua Kiser, Yountville Home Information Officer II; and Hongsun Yoon, ROK Political Consul.
Other participants that made the memorable event successful include EmCee Joshua Kiser, Chaplain Ira Book, Travis US Air Force Base Honor Guard and Band of the Golden West, Singer Kristine Choi, Event Manager and Supervising Rehabilitation Therapist Susan Kay, Chief of Therapeutic Activities Matt Mittman, Therapists Deanna Lopez and Crystal Smith. The 50-minute video from Grant Hall can be found here.
Author: Nestor Aliga
Nestor Aliga was born in the Philippines and migrated to Vallejo, CA in 1967. He was in the US Marine Corps from 1974 to 1976 then in the US Army from 1976 to 2008. He is a life-member of the Big-Three, www.CALEGION.org, www.VFWCA.org, and www.DAVCAL.org.
