Two years ago I was contacted by Keith Grueneberg, the Director of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 535, about an opportunity to honor veterans in his community. In 2006, Hallmark released the movie “The Christmas Card,” a story about a veteran returning a fallen soldier’s dog tags to his family. The film was set in Nevada City and featured a local bridge dedicated to those who served in Vietnam. After the movie aired, however, veterans traveled to the community to view the plaque only to learn it had been removed after filming.
Keith and the members of Chapter 535 wanted this rectified. He reached out to various organizations for months before contacting my office in June of 2020, nearly two years ago. From that passion and effort, ACR 21 was born. In 2021, I introduced this measure to memorialize a portion of the South Yuba River Bridge in Nevada County in honor of soldiers who fought in Vietnam and never returned home. Today I joined Keith and other veterans to dedicate the bridge and commemorate this victory. Now, those who travel to this community to pay their respects will have a permanent, tangible reminder of the sacrifice that was made by so many brave men and women.
As your Assemblywoman, to be able to further the efforts of honoring our veterans is one of the more rewarding parts of being your representative. I am grateful for the opportunity to ensure our communities and the next generation know and honor the sacrifices made by our country’s veterans. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you ever run into an issue that requires a legislative solution. My staff and I are happy to connect with you and provide help in any way we can.
Thank you again to Keith and to everyone who made today possible.
