Napa Valley Register - Napa Pays Tribute on Veterans Day

Several hundred people gathered at Veterans Memorial Park on Tuesday morning to honor the many veterans who have served in the U.S. armed forces.

“Our veterans did not serve for fame or for fortune; they didn’t serve for praise or for glory,” said Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, the keynote speaker for Napa’s Veterans Day observance.

“They served selflessly for duty, for freedom, for the love of our great country, out of loyalty to their fellow soldiers; and they served citizens who they never met. So thank them every day.”

Thompson also asked that every American do their part to ensure service members receive the benefits and services they deserve, while working and praying for peace.

“Every veteran has earned the opportunity for a good education, a good job and a dignified retirement,” said Thompson.

Other local leaders at the observance included Napa City Councilmember Alfredo Pedroza, Vice Mayor Juliana Inman, Napa County Superintendent of Schools Barbara Nemko and Supervisor Brad Wagenknecht.

The service, hosted by the Napa Veterans Council, began with the American Legion honor guard’s presentation of colors, Wayne Beasley of Knights of Columbus leading the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance and Elisabeth Sturm singing the National Anthem.

Mayor Jill Techel welcomed the crowd and thanked students who chose to spend their day off from school with the veterans who have risked their lives to protect the rights of all Americans.

“It’s nice to get back to normal after the earthquake,” Techel said. “Our traditions mean more to us after we’ve been through a disaster.”

She pointed out the eight new banners honoring military members from Napa County who are or have served in Afghanistan and the Middle East.

Newly honored are: Steven Wilkes, U.S. Army, Napa; William Norris, U. S. Marine Corps, Napa; Jonathan Hawley, U.S. Army, Napa; Jonathon Ford, U.S. Army, American Canyon; Chris Schaefer, U.S. Air Force, Napa; Thomas Martin, U.S. Army, Napa; Patrick Hartung, U.S. Army, Napa, and Steven Hunter, U.S. Marine Corps, Napa.

The banners will stand over the park for the next year.

The name of Liz Alessio’s son, Steven Hunter, 25, adorns one of those banners. Recently promoted to the rank of sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, Hunter served in Djibouti and Afghanistan during his five-year term of service and is now stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina.

“Steven just came back from Afghanistan,” said Alessio, her eyes filling up with tears. “He graduated from Vintage High and always felt a call to duty. It’s great that he’s fulfilling that, but I miss him and have not seen him in a long time.”

“In every unit he’s been to, he’s been moved into a position of leadership,” said her boyfriend, Steve Husong, retired from the U.S. Army and now a veterans advocate.

“We talk online all the time because I’ve been where he is. He understands that I was infantry and we have a great amount of respect for each other,” he said.

Alessio has been organizing Operation: With Love From Home, which collects donations for care packages for U.S. troop abroad, since 2008. The group will be making holiday cards to send to the troops at the American Legion Hall, 1240 Pearl St., on Wednesday night from 5:30-7:30.

Husong said Napa goes above and beyond in recognizing its service men and women.

“I retired here and I’m going to stay here forever, just because of the way people care about each other and how dedicated they are towards doing something positive,” said Husong. “I love Napa. This is where I wished my entire unit retired to.”

Patriotically dressed in her red, white and blue American flag sweater, Judy Ahmann, and her husband, John, said they were happy to see veterans receiving the praise and admiration they deserve.

“My father was in World War I and that was a chilling experience because he was on ships going back and forth across the Atlantic to France,” said Judy Ahmann. “I can’t imagine what that must have been like. It’s amazing what people went through to preserve our way of life.”

Both she and John hope that more people, especially younger generations, take the time to learn about our country’s past by talking to our veterans about their experiences.

“For those of us who have family members who have served, it gives you a lump in your throat and makes it hard to talk about or even think about it,” said John Ahmann. “But days like these are a great tribute to all of our veterans, whether it’s a general in the Air Force, a nurse or a colonel in the Army.”