Most of us have at least one person in our family who has served in the military during wartime. These men and women live amongst us, some suffering more than others, some not suffering at all. As they age their sense of self worth comes into focus, and they struggle to explain themselves to younger family members. Talking about traumatic events experienced during war is stressful and exhausting. So the question is “Should we dredge up old painful memories? Are our grandfathers and fathers too old to heal?” Apparently Frazier Sheppard and Laverne Shimanek feel you are never too old to heal. Sheppard (US Army, Vietnam) and Shimanek (US Marine, Korea) are both veterans of war and now they r

An evening to remember is an understatement for Saturday evening's gala event at the California Aerospace Museum. This fundraiser for educational assistance event was the place to be. The Sacramento, California chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, known as the George S. “Spanky” Roberts Chapter, had its 70th Anniversary Gala event Saturday evening. Present were the Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen (DOTA) and their wives. Also present were the widows of the DOTA's who had passed away. 19 men entered the Tuskegee Airmen Program, with five graduating flight school. These men were Col. George S.”Spanky” Roberts, Lt. General Benjamin O. Davis Jr., Cpt. Edward Woodward, Senior Master Sgt. George

Folsom residents saluted its 11th annual Folsom Veterans Day Parade this past Friday. Parade participants gathered at the Target parking lot on Blue Ravine Road and made their way towards City Lions Park. The theme for this year’s celebration was “Saluting our Newest Generation of Warriors: Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.” Thousands watched the parade as representatives from the armed forces, the City of Folsom, scout groups, community organizations and residents participated in honoring those who have served our country. Over 2,000 participants were involved in the parade. Representatives from various JROTC, ROTC, beauty pageants, youth sports and high school

Veterans Day 2011 ended with cloudy skies above the skyline. A fitting scene for the lyrics of the military song Taps: "Day is done, gone the sun, from the lakes from the hills from the sky, all is well, safely, rest, God is near. Fading light, Dims the sight, And a star gems the sky Gleaming bright, From afar, Drawing, near, Falls the night. Thanks and praise, For our days, Neath the sun Neath the stars Neath the sky, As we go, This, we, know, God is near." Writing this I discovered how Taps came to be. See for yourself - CLICK HERE>>>

Last night Sacramento Valley Veterans (SVV), along with LGBT Veterans groups, hosted a celebration at Head Hunters/Kennedy Gallery in midtown. The crowd was enthusiastic for several public figures who dropped by to share their support and happiness that the 18-year long Don't Ask, Don't Tell compromise ended. It allowed homosexuals to serve in the military by keeping our sexual orientation under wraps. That was 20 years after I enlisted. I'm gay. I served in the US Navy from '73 to '77 and received an honorable discharge at the end of my enlistment. I've carried a mental smirk about that ever since. During last night's celebration, emcee Ty Redhouse, SVV President and USAF veteran aske

The Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center is heralding the end of the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy, which bans gay men and women from serving openly in the military. Congress voted in December to repeal the 17 year old DADT policy; DADT officially ends on September 20. “Despite last minute attempts by House Republican leaders to delay the lifting of DADT, the discriminatory policy will officially end on Tuesday. This is a great day for America, as the United States takes another important step in the fight for equal rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender persons,” said Sara Freid, the interim executive director of the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center. “The Lesbian, Gay,

President Obama recently signed a repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the policy that for the past 17 years has prohibited gay individuals from serving openly in the military. The repeal will take effect in September. Democratic Assemblyman Roger Dickinson made a public statement expressing his support of President Obama’s decision to overturn DODT. “Members of our military are serving four or five tours of duty, repeatedly putting their lives on the line to serve our country. These heroic men and women who courageously fight to protect us should not be forced to hide their identities,” he said. The Sacramento Press asked citizens at Capital Park to share their thoughts on the repeal of

Comedian Shayla Rivera will be coming to Sacramento on Feb. 17 for a four-night run of comedy shows at the Punchline Comedy Club. This is Rivera’s first time performing at Punchline Comedy Club. She said she has performed once in Sacramento years ago, but she is still new to the city. “It’s fun for a comedian to go to a city for a first time,” Rivera said. “Sacramento is going to be a special treat for me. I plan to stick my head everywhere.” A self-proclaimed history buff, Rivera said she is excited to see the different buildings and learn more about the history of Sacramento. Rivera was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She immigrated to the United Sstates after high school and attende

You know what's better than a museum? A free museum. You know what's better than a free museum? Twenty-six free museums. Saturday, two baker’s dozen of the best museums in Sacramento swung open their doors and let in every Tom, Dick and Harry, free of charge. Gratis. Complimentary. On the house. Floated. Now, my motto has always been "If it's free, I'll take three," so I fought through a wicked head cold and really bad sniffles (I know, I know. Maybe I did take the Waaaaaaaambulance. So what?), and headed down to Old Sac to take my reward. And I took my reward. I may have to change my motto to the far less catchy, but way more accurate, "if it's free, I'll take six." The lucky half do

Rodney Stanhope is living in a shed at Arden Fair Mall, and he isn’t there to shop. The shed lacks running water or kitchen facilities, and he “showers” with baby wipes. His living space is just big enough for a cot, a couple of camp chairs and a small shelf for his computer. Stanhope, a Navy veteran and small business owner who normally lives in Placerville, has one mission this holiday season: collecting toys for military families with one or both parents deployed overseas. “We can’t bring mom or dad home, but we can make sure they have a happy Christmas,” Stanhope said. “Their parents are out there fighting for our freedom and putting their lives on the line.” Though he partners wit

SACRAMENTO , CALIFORNIA - Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Phillips issued a three-page worldwide injunction calling for the Department of Defense (DoD) to suspend all investigations and discharges related to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy. This development comes weeks after Phillips’ ruling that the policy is unconstitutional, going against the First and Fifth Amendments. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is expected to appeal the decision which will carry the case up the Court of Appeals of the Ninth Circuit. Sacramento Valley Veterans (SVV) member, Anthony Loverde, provided testimony in the bench trial held in southern California in July this year. The Log Cabin R

Saturday was a big day for 4-year-old Ryan McCulloch of Roseville, and he knew it. He stood next to his father on the Mather Air Force Base tarmac, his eyes fixed, his hands tentatively gripping the barrier that kept him from getting closer to the object of his adoration: a 500 horsepower, hydraulically powered, 62,000-pound, fire-breathing robot dinosaur. Ryan and his father, Marshall McCulloch, were two of an estimated 100,000 people to visit the California Capital Airshow this Patriot Day weekend, an annual two-day event that nearly doubled in size since last year. With more than 250 performers, 138 aircraft in the air and on the ground for close examination, and dozens of booths to vi

  ON March 28, 2010 our mother, Claudia Mae Bridges threw her own birthday dinner get together at our oldest sister’s home in Carmichael. Her invited guess included her children, grand-children, great-grand-children and friends. March 25, 1931 was the birthing of something wonderful for this is the day that would be celebrated on March 28th. Claudia Mae Bridges was married to the late Rev. Josh Bridges, Sr. whom together brought their family of ten to California. Rev. Josh Bridges, Sr. had served in the military in Mobile, Alabama at Brookley Field from 1942 to 1945. Brookley Field had closed its doors to many air force men and women which caused the Bridges’ family to transfer to Califor

Sacramento, CA – May 27, 2010 – Today the Senate Armed Services Committee voted 16-12 to allow the repeal of the long-standing ban on gays serving openly in the U.S. Military. This evening the United States House of Representatives voted on striking down “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and with a vote of 234 Yea and 194 Nay, the repeal bill passed. In the end 5 Republicans voted for it and 26 Democrats voted against. The bill needed at least 218 votes to pass. After the results were announced, applause rang out in the otherwise stoic House Chambers. The highly controversial issue will move to the full Senate floor sometime this summer. In a statement released by Wendy Rae Hill, the newly appoin

SACRAMENTO VALLEY VETERANS REACTIVATED Aims to Represent, Advocate for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender (LGBT) Veterans & Servicemembers SACRAMENTO , CALIFORNIA - The Sacramento Valley Veterans announces its new Board of Directors and aims to reach out to local LGBT veterans and servicemembers through activism, advocacy, and outreach. The group was originally founded in March 2004 and sponsored the installation of a commemorative brick at the Veterans Memorial Plaza in May 2006. The brick honors the memory of all LGBT veterans. The Sacramento Valley Veterans held social events at local restaurants and participated in local patriotic events. This year, the group will take part in Sac

The California Automobile Museum is temporarily home to all three mass-produced World War II military jeeps. The 1941 Bantam Reconnaissance Car (Jeep), 1943 Ford Military Jeep, and 1943 Willys Military Jeep are great examples of American innovation during the war years that are rarely seen together. In July 1940, the U.S. Army issued a challenge to the nation’s automakers to produce a light, cross-country reconnaissance vehicle described as a “quarter-ton, 4X4 truck.” Ford, Willys-Overland, and American-Bantam took on the task but only American-Bantam was able to produce a prototype in the short amount of time the military required. However, Bantam’s limited production capacity made it im

Under a slew of military flags, banners and pictures of troops, volunteers at Cal Expo collected care package donations Friday. They were members of the Defenders of Freedom a local nonprofit organization that assists servicemembers and their families. Toiletries, games and DVD's were among the most requested items by troops serving around the country and overseas. The items were being assembled into care packages for troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. "Both my sons serve in the Army," said Maria Elena Szlachciuk, founder of Defenders of Freedom. "These items, combined with letters and cards, can lift a soldier's morale." The California chapter was founded in 2007 after a similar chapter s

Sacramento State has the second-highest veterans and their dependents student population of any California State University and University of California campus. With more than 1,200 veterans and dependents taking classes there, the Student Veterans Organization is one of the highest profile clubs on campus. Its first spring meeting is Monday. Active since fall 2007, SVO is dedicated to helping veterans and their families in every facet of college life. From class enrollment to complicated government forms, theSVO assists members every step of the way. "This is my version of a fraternity," Air Force veteran Dustin McMillan said of the group. "Commonalities we all share, like the military,

Sacramento, CA- All the hard work throughout the year of the Capital Air Show staff began to show it's fruit today as a myriad of aircraft flew in to Mather Field to participate in the fourth annual Sacramento Capital Air Show. Out on the tarmac, barriers and safety fences were being put in place, displays began to take form, the sound system that runs the entire length of the flight line was assembled and pilots took to the air to get a feel for the topography of Sacramento. Tim Baker flies a stunt plane for Geico; he's been passionately flying for them for six to seven years and has done 22 air shows. Not only is Tim the pilot, he is also in charge of the displays. "Geico works me hard

I walked onto the quad of Bella Vista High School on a Sunday afternoon to a sight of 20 or so men climbing walls, running like cheetahs on all fours and swinging from trees. This was the Sacramento regional parkour practice, led by a SFparkour.com representative, Victor Lo Forte. He has been a practitioner of parkour, or traceur, French for tracer, for three and a half years and has led the Sacramento group for about two years. "From what I understand, it's basically the discipline of training one's mind and body to prepare oneself to overcome obstacles in an environment," Lo Forte said. Parkour is said to be rooted in early 20th century French military practices. Georges Hébert, a Wor