Before Army veteran Staff Sgt. Alex Jauregui, a native of Williams, lost both legs and received other extensive injuries when he stepped on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2012, he and his wife, also in the service, loved military life.
They knew going in there would be good days and bad, that they would endure the loss of comrades, and they would risk injury or death themselves.
While Jauregui’s massive injury ended his military career, he moved on to open his own beekeeping business, raise a family, and never regretted his service to a grateful nation.
“There are a lot of sacrifices that our military makes to wear that title ‘Veteran,’ and, as a nation, we could never truly repay them for everything they’ve done,” said Jauregui, who was keynote speaker at the annual Veteran’s Day observance ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park, in Colusa, on Thursday. “But we can try. As simple as a thank-you sounds, sometimes it means a lot.”
The annual Veteran’s Day ceremony, unlike Memorial Day, honors all veterans – living or dead; active duty or retired.
Each year, the Colusa Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 2441 and the Maxwell American Legion Post No. 218 bring the community together to honor men and women who served in the U.S. armed forces, and to read the names of Colusa County’s veterans, which are etched into bricks on the memorial wall. Some were killed in action; others died years later, surrounded by their loved ones. Some of the names, read in alphabetical order, represented families that sent many of their sons and daughters into harm’s way…Azevedo, Immoos, Larson, Myers, Sandridge, Tucker, Wells.
Another 39 names were added in 2021, bringing the total to 1,005, said VFW member Dennis Sanders, who chairs the memorial brick project.
While the ceremony would have ended following the reading of the names, this year ended with the awaited raffle of the beloved Harley Davidson motorcycle, donated by the family of the late Steve Corbin, who served four tours of duty in the U.S. Navy on the USS Orleck DD-886, during the Vietnam War.
Corbin’s wife Zenaida was tearful when she spoke Thursday, before pulling the winning ticket belonging to Frank Martin. The proceeds from Steve’s motorcycle benefit the mission of the local veterans organization.
“It was his pride and joy,” Zenaida said, about her late husband’s bike. “It meant a lot to the both of us. It’s the reason that our video for our wedding is named ‘The Biker and his Bride.’ It helped him heal a lot of wounds. It took him to the Veterans Wall in Washington D.C. and Rolling Thunder, and helped him meet a lot of vets who continued to be his friends.”
Colusa Councilman Greg Ponciano said the annual Veterans Day ceremony serves as an important reminder to honor the service of veterans and renew the public’s national promise to fulfill their obligations to veterans, and their families, who have all sacrificed so much so that we can live free.
“Today is Veterans Day…tomorrow is Veterans Day. Each and every day that we live in peace in this great country; each day we exercise the rights and freedoms that others have fought for is, in fact, Veterans Day,” Ponciano said. ■