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Friendship Center, VNA Health present pins and quilts to men and women who served their country KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOSAt left, U.S. Marine veteran Marie Mackey, left, is recognized for her service during the ceremony. At right, Scott Eschbach, right, salutes Air Force veteran Mort Rudin.
Fourteen veterans were honored for their service during a pinning ceremony Thursday at the Friendship Center in Montecito.
“Eleven of these are members of the Friendship Center,” Executive Director Heidi Holly told the crowd in the outside courtyard on a hot day, but one with sunny smiles on the faces of veterans and their families and friends.
Ms. Holly explained the other three veterans were related to Friendship Center members or supporters of them.
Scott Eschbach and Roger Deck put pins, which represented the branches of the service, on the veterans while emcee Tom Parker shared the veterans’ stories.
“Please accept our thanks and gratitude,” Mr. Deck said during a brief talk before the pinning ceremony.
Manny Vasta receives the U.S. Navy pin from Roger Deck.Friendship Center oversaw the ceremony in a partnership with VNA Health, whose new executive director, Kieran Shah, presented the veterans with special quilts in honor of their service.
“I thought it was fantastic,” Mr. Shah told the News-Press afterward. “It’s moving to hear their stories and how they served others. It’s just an honor to be here and hopefully to be able to serve them back at some point.”
Associate Rector Victoria Kirk Mouradian of nearby All Saints by the Sea Episcopal Church gave the invocation, and Deborah Bertling sang the national anthem.
Roger Deck, left, pins the U.S. Air Force pin on veteran Joseph Bauer while Bauer’s son Peter looks on during a veterans ceremony at the Friendship Center in Montecito. Peter Bauer, a veteran of the Marines, was also honored during the ceremony.Those honored included a father and son, who both received their pins and quilts at the ceremony.
The son, Peter Bauer, served as a sergeant/E-5 in the U.S. Marines from Oct. 10, 2000 to March 14, 2013 and was stationed at MCAS-New River in Jacksonville, N.C. Mr. Bauer was a navigation systems technician.
“He comes from a family that takes great pride in their military service,” Mr. Parker said, reading from a biography. “His father, Joseph Bauer, who is with us today, served in the Air Force. Peter also has two brothers who served in the Marines and one brother who served in the Navy.”
Roger Deck, left, shakes hands with U.S. Navy veteran Irwin Bendet.Other veterans and their stories, as read by Mr. Parker, included:
— Peter Delevett, first lieutenant in the Army, who served from 1969 to 1971 at Fort Bliss, Texas, and Hawk Missile Base in Okinawa, where he was trained as an air defense artillery officer. He served in active combat during the Vietnam War.
Mr. Delevitt told the ceremony organizers that he met his beautiful wife, Molly, at a fraternity/sorority exchange during his senior year of college and credited his dancing skill and personality for winning her heart.
— Sally Reagan, first lieutenant in the Air Force, serving from 1978 to 1983 as a systems analyst for classified satellite operations.
She wanted to serve in the Navy, but was rejected because of her height, so she applied to the Air Force, which gave her a “height waiver.” She went on to receive a Meritorious Service Medal for her classified work.
She said the military taught her loyalty, accountability and confidence.
Dr. David Medina, left, receives the U.S. Army pin from Roger Deck.— Dr. David Albert Medina, captain in the Army. He served from 1961-63 in South Carolina and South Korea as a physician. In fact, he was in charge of a hospital in Seoul. He also established a clinic, where he spent most of his time unless there was an emergency at the hospital.
Dr. Medina told the ceremony organizers that his time in the service taught him about the value of learning about people from different countries.
After the service, Dr. Medina became a longtime pediatrician in Santa Barbara.
— Alfred Falcon, lance corporal, in the Marines. He served from 1966 to 1969 and worked as a mechanic on self-propelled vehicles at Camp Pendleton, in Vietnam and in Concord, Calif. He was with the 3rd Marine support unit and received special training on using recovery vehicles and performing maintenance in the field.
When asked about any lessons from his service, Mr. Falcon said, “We had everything but still lost the war in Vietnam, which taught me that even with technology, you can still lose.”
Mr. Falcon is from a military family. Two of his uncles were also in the Marines, and he said their service inspired him to join the corps.
Others who were honored included Robert Antonini, private first class in the Army; Irwin Bendet, electronic technician mate, third class, in the Navy; Joe Ewing, airman first class in the Air Force; Marie Mackey, clerk/typist in the Marines; Mort Rudin, staff sergeant in the Air Force; Manny Vasta, fire control technician 2 in the Navy; and John Weber, electronic technician and radio repair specialist in the Air Force.
Another veteran who received a pin and quilt — James Wankum, a lance corporal E-3 in the Marines — was all smiles after the ceremony and told the News-Press he appreciated the recognition. “I feel honored.”
email: dmason@newspress.com
MORE ON SUNDAY
For more photos of the veterans honored in Montecito, see the Life section in Sunday’s News-Press.
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