City of La Quinta honors residents who have served in annual Veterans Day celebration
Howard Thompson was 8 years old when he had to receive a blood transfusion due to a lack of serum for his meningitis.
Luckily, as Thompson told a crowd gathered to honor Veterans Day in La Quinta on Friday morning, a young man volunteered to donate blood to him. As the transfusion was happening, Thompson learned the man was in the military.
“I thought to myself, I have this blood of a soldier, and that's what I want to do with my life,” Thompson recalled. “I want to go serve in the Army and make it a career."
Thompson, the guest speaker at La Quinta’s annual Veterans Recognition Ceremony held Friday, went on to serve in the Army for 30 years, including a stint tracking intercontinental missiles from a base in Florida. The retired colonel was joined by dozens of others with military experience, as well as family and friends, to recognize the holiday at the La Quinta City Hall courtyard.
Over the years, the ceremony has honored more than 300 veterans. This year, 19 residents were recognized, receiving a certificate and ribbon, as well as a plaque engraved with their name, rank and years of service on the Veterans Acknowledgement Sculpture in the La Quinta Civic Center.
Among this year’s honorees was Christian Robert Carranza, a corporal in the Marines for four years who just completed his service in March — making Friday his first Veterans Day since the end of his time on active duty.
Carranza, who grew up in town, said the initial transition back from military life was tough, particularly looking for jobs, but he credited the La Quinta community for connecting him with opportunities.
“Knowing that this community was able to help me get organized more, to get me set on my goal, it really meant a lot to come out here with a bunch of veterans around ... to give you more resources that you can use,” Carranza said.
The young resident, who also credited the Department of Veterans Affairs for its help, recently finished IT training school, and he hopes to find a job that keeps him close to home in the valley.
Friday’s event, which drew a crowd of roughly 200 and featured a flyover from the Palm Springs Air Museum, also included remarks from the La Quinta City Council. Steve Sanchez, who served for several years in the U.S. Marine Corps, noted the difficulties facing veterans upon their return to civilian life, adding he’s lost military friends to suicide.
“If you're a veteran and you need help, ask us,” Sanchez said, fighting back tears. “If you're a family or friend of a veteran and you know they need help, help them before it’s too late.”
The event also honored a gold-star family, as the crowd gave a standing ovation to the mother of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. James Perez, who died in combat five years ago, at the age of 28.
Marine Cpl. Hunter Lopez of Indio, who was killed over a year ago in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan, was also recognized during the gold-star ceremony, with his parents receiving a warm welcome from the attendees.
The full list of this year’s honorees in La Quinta includes:
U.S. Air Force: Cody J. Payne, Kevin D. McMullen, Harold “Skip” Mauser Jr., Robert Thackrah, Mike Huiras.
U.S. Army: Adam Sambrano Jr., Andrew J. Ghera, Dennis Lid, Jim Mahoney, Peter A. Fleury.
U.S. Marine Corps: Aaron Rivera Jr., Christian Robert Carranza, Matthew Johnson.
U.S. Navy: Alejandro Ibarra, Joseph “Guy” Mehula, Lane Edward Arthur, Richard “Dick” Hauser, Larry Wilson, Fred Shigemasa.
Tom Coulter covers the cities of Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com or on Twitter @tomcoulter_.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: La Quinta Veterans Day celebration honors residents who have served
