ALL THE WAY BIRTHDAY

Birthday Wishes, News

L.A. Sheriff’s deputies joined by Patriot Guard Riders, Coffee4Vets, Vets4veterans, Point Man AV and Blue Star Mother’s rolled out a five-star birthday salute Wednesday for Deputy Luis Gaxiola, an 82nd Airborne veteran of Operation Desert Storm and the Iraq war. Gaxiola returned from a tough surgery and hospital stay in time for his 51st birthday celebrated with wife Sylvia, BSM, and mother Esther, plus family and veteran supporters. The 82nd motto, Airborne All The Way.

Let us Honor those brave Marines and their families who sacrificed all in the truest sense of duty and country.

News

Fifteen Marines and the sailor were participating in a routine training exercise off the coast of San Clemente Island on Thursday when their amphibious assault vehicle began taking on water and sank. Eight Marines were pulled from the water – one died and two others remained hospitalized in critical condition Sunday, the Marines said in a statement.Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard helicopters and ships searched more than I,000 square nautical miles for 40 hours. Search team commanders ultimately determined there was little probability of a successful rescue given the circumstances of the incident, the statement said.“It is with a heavy heart, that I decided to conclude the search and rescue effort,” said Col. Christopher Bronzi. “The steadfast dedication of the Marines, sailors. and Coast Guardsmen to the persistent rescue effort was tremendous.”The vehicle sank in several hundred feet of water off San Clemente Island, about 60 miles off the coast of Camp Pendleton in San Diego County.

AIRMAN’s JOURNEY HOME

News

Edwards Air Force Base honor guard and Patriot Guard Riders, American Legion Riders of the Antelope Valley provided ceremonial escort for Sr. Airman Cody Chrisman on his final journey home to Colorado.Personnel and volunteers gathered early at Halley Olsen Funeral Home for salute and escort for Chrisman, who was killed in a traffic accident in Rosamond on July 14. Riders and volunteers from Coffee4Vets and Vets4veterans gathered early Friday morning for the final salute and send off before escorted ride to Los Angeles International Airport.Escort and Honors Photos Courtesy Atherine Blanco, Coffee4Vets.

Happy Birthday Brother James Scott

Birthday Wishes, News

Coffee4VETS sending Happy Birthday greetings to our veteran Brother James Scott who is celebrating today his big day. Jim is a veteran with many talents and championships in Fishing, Bow & Arrow, excellent Marksman Hunter i.e. Deer Hunting. We are wishing you a very joyful day & a blessed year. Loads of virtual hugs & love Veterans give a heart felt wish to James.

HERO’S WELCOME: VIETNAM VET COASTIE SURVIVES LONG COVID FIGHT

Announcements, News

Three months and five days in the hospital, and Walter Sapp, Lt. Cmdr. Ret. U.S. Coast Guard, is a coronavirus survivor. Sapp, 76, believed he did well surviving Vietnam 50 years ago.He served as a fighting sailor in “brown water navy,” boats that fought the Viet Cong on coastal and inland waterways.He never got a “Welcome Home” parade for that. But Saturday, he got a parade for surviving Covid-19, the novel coronavirus, the virus that has killed more than 130,000 Americans, many of them older citizens. More than 3 million Americans are infected, with Los Angeles County one of the nation’s hot spots.”I spent three months, and five days in the hospital,” Sapp said in an interview from his home. “And 39 days of it were in a coma. I don’t remember anything.” Sapp, known as a veterans community supporter and Loyal Knight of Elks Lodge 1625 in Lancaster, was welcomed home by a thundering procession of motorcyclists from Patriot Guard Riders, Patriot Crusaders, bikers who ride with American Legion, and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Following in cars were vet supporters from Sapp’s own military support group, Coffee4Vets, as well as Vets4Veterans, Point Man of the Antelope Valley and other groups.The signs were simple – “Welcome Home, Walter,” and “We Love You, Walter,” and “Semper Paratus,” the U.S. Coast Guard motto, meaning “Always Prepared.” Scouts held aloft Old Glory and a Coast Guard flag, while Sapp, 76, waited on the front lawn, masked, and wheel-chair mobile.”I never leave the house without my mask,” he said. “This is serious.” Sapp’s 97-day ordeal began in March when his wife, Susan, noted he had a fever. They drove around, seeking a drug pharmacy that would have an electronic thermometer, “but they were already sold out everywhere.” They got to the doctor’s office and his regular care physician noted fever, and that his oxygen level was dangerously low.”He called 911, and that is the last thing that I remember.”Sapp’s circumstances were dire. He had a number of markers that could complicate his survival prospects. He was a 76-year-old African-American man, with underlying conditions from exposure to chemicals during the Vietnam War. The majority of fatalities have been above the age of 65, with underlying health conditions, and disproportionate numbers of African-American deaths.”At one point they expected that he would die, but I would not let that happen,” his wife said. Rather than increasing drugs for comfort, she insisted on a tracheotomy to clear his airway. After about six weeks in the hospital, he was transferred to Greater West Los Angeles VA Healthcare Center where he said, “I got the best care.””I had doctors, social workers, physical therapists,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, they were the best.” Nearly 14 weeks later, he came home, a survivor.