Posted on 05/07/2006 6:24:28 PM PDT by The Mayor
Oh, thank you, Majjie, that is such a pretty doll, and the hummingbird with her is so sweet!
Veterans ask Oceanside for permanent home
By: CHRIS TRIBBEY - Staff Writer
OCEANSIDE ---- A group of former soldiers and Marines urged the City Council this week to give veterans a gathering spot in Oceanside and create a permanent war memorial in the city that neighbors Camp Pendleton, one of the busiest military bases in the nation.
More than 20 war veterans attended Wednesday night's council meeting to support a request by Councilman Rocky Chavez that the city look at using its former Police Department operations center on Mission Avenue as a veterans hall, where different groups can meet.
But the Oceanside Fire Department and Oceanside Police Department are looking at the 1617 Mission Ave. facility as a possible home for their emergency operations center.
On Wednesday, the council also approved the demolition of jail cells and accessory buildings at the site in anticipation of emergency dispatchers moving back in.
"We had always anticipated that backup dispatch would move back in there," said Public Works Director Peter Weiss. "(Councilman Chavez's) request took us a little bit by surprise."
Chavez said it was wrong for Oceanside's veterans to not have a permanent place to call home.
"I don't like to see a conflict between veterans and public safety," he said.
The former site of the Playgirl club on Pier View Way and the run-down Moose Lodge site on South Coast Highway are two other sites the Police and Fire departments have considered, but neither are attractive options, according to City Manager Steve Jepsen.
"Our city needs an emergency operations center. From my perspective, is this the best location? No," said police Chief Frank McCoy of the 1617 Mission site. "But we do need one."
Veterans expressed anger at the city for the lack of a veterans hall.
"In 22 years, we have not had a post," said James M. Jones, a certified national recruiter with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and commander of VFW Post 10577 in Oceanside. "Whoever is elected commander (of the Oceanside chapter), his garage is the post.
"New members don't stay in Oceanside ---- they go to Vista or San Marcos," Jones added. "We're tired of meeting in garages. There must be some place for us."
Gerald "Skip" Cline, commander of The Military Order of the Purple Heart, said Oceanside also needs to move fast on bringing a permanent war memorial to town.
"We have been waiting 50 years for a memorial," he said. "We in this city need a memorial for our veterans. And we need a home. I've met members who've gone to a Carl's Jr. or Jack In The Box just to keep things going."
The council voted 5-0 to have Chavez lead an ad hoc committee to find a permanent meeting home for veterans, while Councilwoman Esther Sanchez suggested that the former Playgirl building be considered as an interim spot for veterans to hold meetings and events.
More than one council member said the city may look for a permanent veterans hall near the planned senior center at El Corazon.
Contact staff writer Chris Tribbey at (760) 901-4067 or ctribbey@nctimes.com.
Thanks that read was good! :)
Re: your# 38 post is what my prior post refers to.
You're welcome Billie...Always!:)
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., May 7, 2006 - Military Appreciation Month is under way, as millions of people have jammed the beach here this week for "Fleet Week USA - A National Salute to America's Heroes," sponsored by McDonald's.
The company kicked off the salute on May 1. Today's McDonald's Air and Sea Show, featuring the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels demonstration team and the Army's Golden Knights parachute team, will conclude the week's festivities. The Canadian Forces Snow Birds precision aerobatics team is adding an international flavor to the weekend.
The salute has been a fixture here for 12 years running, according to event officials.
"This salute to America's heroes is presumably the largest spectator event in the world," Mickey Markoff, founder and president of MDM Group, told a crowd gathered for an earlier Fleet Week activity. "We expect millions of people here this weekend." MDM Group is a Fort Lauderdale-based marketing firm specializing in corporate-sponsored sporting and special events.
The weekend's activities on the water include a Super Boat International/American Power Boat Association race and a beach invasion conducted by the Marine Corps and the Navy.
Those who want to take in the demonstrations the military is offering but want to stay off what promises to be a crowded four-mile stretch of beach can check out the McDonald's Air and Sea Show Display Village. Located at a nearby mall, spectators can view civilian and military land and marine vehicles as well as sponsor displays and demonstrations.
"Part of the reason we sponsor both of the programs is ... giving back to the community at large has always been a cornerstone of McDonald's and our business," Ellis said. "So this program is just another great way to do exactly that, and at the same time, salute the very important work of the men and women of the U.S. military."
As most on The Finest know, my son, Steve, was with DMAT (Disaster Medical Assistance Team) and for 4 years has manned the medical tent at the Sea & Air Shows in Ft. Lauderdale.
The weekend crowd usually tops 2,000,000 visitors, and they treat as many as 70 patients per weekend.
Although he in September moved up the coast to the Port St. Lucie/Ft. Pierce/Stuart area, now with an Oncology Practice, he had the weekend off and volunteered to be down there again.
He said there were fewer patients this time, but did have a woman having a heart attack to handle.
Growing up as an Air Force Brat, he had seen the Blue Angels back in the 60's, and other military air shows.... they're definitely in his blood..:))
All the services participate, the Navy in the ocean itself, bombing demonstrations at sea, plus Marines landing on shore - and again, the Stealth Bombers wonderful precision flying to pass over at *precisely* the time on the Schedule, coming across the country!
I'm so very proud of his heart for volunteerism, manning the Emergency Tent (serving as the community's ER) in Punta Gorda, Florida as soon as Hurricane Charlie hit in 2004, for 11 days - another earlier one - Hurricane Lili - in Louisiana, etc.
Thank you for reminding me.
Thank you dutchess!
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