Celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. armed forces, Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter No. 355, in partnership with Coffee4Vets Inc., hosted “Commitment to Freedom” at Bella Vida on Saturday.
As the nation prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the United States Army, Navy and Marines are also celebrating the birthdays of each organization, which were formed in 1775.
Veterans and attendees of all ages could purchase a ticket to enjoy a cocktail hour, followed by a dinner reception, with the primary purpose of funding for the newly established Veterans Relief Fund.
“We’re raising funds, and we’ll be able to help veterans out with things like utility bills or gas, things like that. We started [the fund] under the umbrella of the Vietnam Veterans as a not-for-profit organization, and we have channeled funds that come in for the event to go directly into a separate account that we made up for the Veterans Relief Fund,” said Jerry Rhodes, secretary of the local Vietnam Veterans of America chapter.
According to Rhodes, the fund was established nearly eight months ago, and is designed for any veteran to benefit throughout Santa Clarita.
“We have always tried to contribute to veterans if they need help, but we’ve been limited in funds. There’s a lot of activity for veterans in this activity. This is a very patriotic city,” Rhodes said.
RJ Kelly, vice president of the local Vietnam Veterans of America chapter, played an integral role in planning the once-in-a-lifetime event.
“Tonight, we’re celebrating the Army, Navy and Marines. They were all formed in 1775, and the whole purpose was to protect our country, then we became a formal country the next year. So, what we’re doing locally is talking about how things have progressed. We have two World War II vets, a Korean vet, and then several Vietnam and Afghanistan vets,” Kelly said. “We thought this was a great way to give back to the vets. Tickets and profits go back to the vets. The excess money that we’ve already made we brought back 40 veterans here, no charge, for the ones who couldn’t afford it.”
Although planning was stressful for Kelly, the result of bringing the veteran community together is worth it.
“Planning gets stressful. Not everybody’s retired. I think it’s going to be a nice success. I see a lot of faces here that I know, and a lot that I don’t. That’s the whole thing. It’s camaraderie, friendship, war stories, family. That’s what we’re all about,” Kelly said. “As for profit, we’re looking [so far] at almost five digits.”
Pam Hogan, vice president of the Santa Clarita Valley Veterans Memorial Committee Inc., anticipated the honoring of her husband, Jim, during the event.
“Tonight, we’re honoring veterans, and my husband was one of them. He’s a Vietnam vet, and he succumbed a year and a half ago to Agent Orange-related cancers. He was deaf, blind and quite the activist for the veteran community, and he did a lot for people to file their claims and get them taken care of,” Hogan said. “It’s surreal to see him get honored. A lot of these guys here — I feel like I’m one of them. It’s quite an honor to be here tonight.”
Hogan wants her husband to be remembered for one main thing: his altruism.
“Jim felt that he didn’t deserve everything he got, but he wanted everybody to make sure that they got what they were entitled to. He would say, ‘It’s not a handout. You earned it.’ Veterans have earned the right to their benefits,” Hogan said. “There’s a lot of long-lasting impacts, too, mentally, physically, financially. There’s a great impact to being a veteran.”
