Robert Williams begins to tear up when he thinks about how much Veterans Day means to him.
The Vietnam War veteran – who served in the United States Marine Corps from 1968 to 1970 – has to compose himself when talking about a holiday that honors those that he served with in the jungles of a country more than 8,000 miles away from home.
“It’s really hard for me to put into words how much Veterans Day means to me. I look at veterans as wonderful people who gave everything they could for their country,” Williams said. “We were the ones who were lucky enough to come home, and I love and honor each and every veteran.”
Monday afternoon Williams joined more than a hundred other people, almost all of whom were veterans, at the Manteca Senior Center for the Veterans Appreciation event sponsored by Manteca’s retirement communities and the Manteca Historical Society.
Members of both the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion were on hand to support the event. The event featured the presentation of the colors by the East Union High School JROTC, a welcome by retired Community Service Manager John Boore, and an invocation and comments from Place of Refuge pastor and Vietnam veteran Mike Dillman.
Knowing that he lives in a community that appreciates those who served their country gives Williams a sense of comfort.
“A lot of people don’t appreciate what the veteran has done,” he said. “That’s not the case here in Manteca. I’m very proud to live here and proud to be in a place that puts on an event like this every year.”
And he wasn’t the only one who was moved to tears when reflecting on how much the holiday, and the community support of said holiday, means to them.
Fellow Marine Ken Wesela – who served from 1954 through 1957 in both Japan and Quantico, Virginia – says that he credits the very foundation of his life to his time that he spent serving his country.
“I get emotional when I talk about my service,” Wesela said. “My chosen vocation came out of my military service, and I ended up spending 36 years working for United Airlines because of the time that I spent in the Marine Corps.
“Events like this one today and the others that Manteca supports wholeheartedly do a lot for me. The military made my life, and I’m thankful for that and the people that I served with.”
And for Raul Alaniz – a sailor who was stationed at Pearl Harbor from 1961 through 1965 – seeing what some people gave to serve their country was only as far away as the closest window that looked out over where the USS Arizona came to rest at the bottom of the harbor.
“Veterans Day to me means being able to enjoy our freedoms and to stay here and reap the fruits of the labor that other veterans (helped protect),” Alaniz said. “I love living here in Manteca where people always come up to me when I’m wearing my hat that says I’m a veteran and thank me for my service to my country.
“It’s something that you don’t see a whole lot of other places, and that’s what makes Manteca special.”
The Vietnam War veteran – who served in the United States Marine Corps from 1968 to 1970 – has to compose himself when talking about a holiday that honors those that he served with in the jungles of a country more than 8,000 miles away from home.
“It’s really hard for me to put into words how much Veterans Day means to me. I look at veterans as wonderful people who gave everything they could for their country,” Williams said. “We were the ones who were lucky enough to come home, and I love and honor each and every veteran.”
Monday afternoon Williams joined more than a hundred other people, almost all of whom were veterans, at the Manteca Senior Center for the Veterans Appreciation event sponsored by Manteca’s retirement communities and the Manteca Historical Society.
Members of both the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion were on hand to support the event. The event featured the presentation of the colors by the East Union High School JROTC, a welcome by retired Community Service Manager John Boore, and an invocation and comments from Place of Refuge pastor and Vietnam veteran Mike Dillman.
Knowing that he lives in a community that appreciates those who served their country gives Williams a sense of comfort.
“A lot of people don’t appreciate what the veteran has done,” he said. “That’s not the case here in Manteca. I’m very proud to live here and proud to be in a place that puts on an event like this every year.”
And he wasn’t the only one who was moved to tears when reflecting on how much the holiday, and the community support of said holiday, means to them.
Fellow Marine Ken Wesela – who served from 1954 through 1957 in both Japan and Quantico, Virginia – says that he credits the very foundation of his life to his time that he spent serving his country.
“I get emotional when I talk about my service,” Wesela said. “My chosen vocation came out of my military service, and I ended up spending 36 years working for United Airlines because of the time that I spent in the Marine Corps.
“Events like this one today and the others that Manteca supports wholeheartedly do a lot for me. The military made my life, and I’m thankful for that and the people that I served with.”
And for Raul Alaniz – a sailor who was stationed at Pearl Harbor from 1961 through 1965 – seeing what some people gave to serve their country was only as far away as the closest window that looked out over where the USS Arizona came to rest at the bottom of the harbor.
“Veterans Day to me means being able to enjoy our freedoms and to stay here and reap the fruits of the labor that other veterans (helped protect),” Alaniz said. “I love living here in Manteca where people always come up to me when I’m wearing my hat that says I’m a veteran and thank me for my service to my country.
“It’s something that you don’t see a whole lot of other places, and that’s what makes Manteca special.”
