CHULA VISTA, Calif. – Lt. Cmdr. Henry Martinez has spent the last 12 years focused on recognizing veterans and their sacrifices on Veterans Day in Chula Vista, California. This year he got his own day Dec. 6 in a Chula Vista Mayoral Proclamation.
“For more than 12 years, Lieutenant Commander Martinez has been a generous supporter of the local Veterans Elementary School’s ‘Honor Our Veterans Parade event,’” the proclamation stated.
The City Council also honored Froylan Villanueva, principal of Veterans Elementary School in Chula Vista.
Martinez, N75 WEST Department head, said he was taken completely by surprise by the honor.
“I got a phone call, and they said, ‘are you available?’”
Martinez, who still helps organize and plan the parade, said he started the veterans recognition 12 years ago, when he returned from a deployment in Afghanistan. The Chula Vista veterans parade grew out of that effort a year later.
“I wanted to teach the kids the true meaning of a veteran. It [Veterans Elementary] was my home school. My daughter was there. I came back [from Afghanistan] and said let me mentor these kids in the true meaning of a veteran,” he said.
Martinez said he plans to continue his role in the parade.
For more information on NAVIFOR, visit the command's web site at www.navifor.navy.mil, our Navy News Web page at http://www.navy.mil/local/navifor or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/USNavyInformationDominanceForce.
| Date Taken: | 01.04.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 01.06.2017 09:55 |
| Story ID: | 219419 |
| Location: | CHULA VISTA , CA, US |
| Web Views: | 96 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NAVIFOR Officer Honored for Role in Chula Vista Veterans Day Parade, by George Lammons, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
LEAVE A COMMENT