SACRAMENTO – The State Senate has voted to approve a measure by Sen. Patricia Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa) to establish the position of hospital and health services administrator for the Veterans Home in Yountville.
Senators approved Senate Bill 565 by a margin of 31-4 on Tuesday, which means the legislation now heads to the Assembly for consideration.
Yountville is the only veterans’ home in California that has with an emergency room, skilled nursing facility, and a pharmacy. The facility’s new Alzheimer/Dementia unit is scheduled to open July 11.
“They have a medical director and a nursing director but the home needs someone solely dedicated to administering and coordinating the medical care and medical personnel for all the facilities on the property,” Wiggins said. “The veterans have expressed concern that doctors, nurses and other personnel are often at odds with each other, and that an administrator could help improve the process as well as the quality of care and services.”
If approved by the Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, SB 565 would require that the hospital and health services administrator is responsible for the overall management of health services centers at Yountville, as well as the organization, direction, and coordination of medical and health services in the hospital, pharmacy, outpatient clinic, skilled nursing facility, and Alzheimer's unit.
The hospital and health services administrator would report to the administrator of the home, currently Marcella McCormack.
“I think Marcella McCormack is doing a wonderful job, and my legislation should in no way be interpreted as anything other than an effort to improve the quality of care and services offered to our veterans,” Wiggins said. “Yountville is the largest veterans’ home in the United States with 1,200 members, and I think it is essential for us to continuously find ways to better serve the brave men and women who have served and sacrificed on behalf of our nation.”
LAKEPORT – Chapter 951 of Vietnam Veterans of America is holding its monthly potluck dinner and general meeting on Thursday, June 14.
The potluck begins at 6 p.m., with the meeting at 7 p.m.
The group will meet at their usual location, at Saint Mary Immaculate Parish Hall, 801 N. Main St., Lakeport.
Topic of discussion will be Operation Tango Mike packing party and other activities for the Fourth of July.
All Vietnam-era veterans, veterans of all eras, their families and friends, and members of the general public are all cordially welcome.
For more information contact George J. Dorner at 274-5698, or e-mail
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Ginny Craven receives the Most Patriotic Organization award from Brigadier General Emory Hagan II. Courtesy photo.
SACRAMENTO – Ginny Craven picked up the award for Most Patriotic Organization on behalf of Lake County's own Operation Tango Mike in Sacramento's Grand Ballroom on Friday, May 4.
The event was the Homefront Heroes Gala 2007, sponsored by Operation Homefront and Rebels With A Cause, national veterans help organizations.
Honorary co-chairmen of the event were Thomas Johnson, secretary, California Department of Veteran Affairs; Major General William H. Wade II, adjutant general, California National Guard; Major General Roger Brautigan (Ret.), undersecretary, California Department of Veteran Affairs; and Brigadier General Emory "Jack" Hagan II, commanding general, California State Military Reserve, who was the master of ceremonies.
Also gracing the occasion was Lewis Lee Millett Jr., a Medal of Honor winner.
Many other individuals and organizations being recognized for their contributions to our troops, their families and our veterans were in attendance. The room was filled with proud veterans from many eras, as well as many active duty military members.
The keynote speaker was Brian Shul, a fighter pilot shot down during Vietnam. He not only survived the crash, but the extensive and life-threatening burns he sustained and returned to fly again, in the world's fastest aircraft, the SR-71 Blackbird.
Shul spoke of the tremendous support and comfort he felt when receiving packages and mail during his hospitalization and how that bolstered him to fight to survive and thrive.
He strongly and adamantly stated the support supplied to our troops is fundamental to their morale.
Craven's reception is a long-overdue public acknowledgment of her strenuous four-year effort to support our troops.
However, she's not resting on her acclaim. She's briskly nailing down the details of her upcoming pasta feast fundraiser for Tango Mike, which will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 12, at Saint Mary Immaculate Parish Hall, 801 N. Main St., Lakeport.
E-mail George Dorner at
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LAKE COUNTY – The first time Chrissie Ebert saw Joe Smigel, he was prone on the front lawn of the Blue Lakes Lodge in the midst of a flock of about 50 ducks. He was nose to beak with them, quacking away. It was the beginning of eight years of love that would end at the nearby octagonal gazebo at Pine Acres Resort, at the celebration of his life.
The April 21 gathering broke the funeral meats, traded Joe stories, and looked at the poster board shrine of photos commemorating an extraordinary ordinary man.
In one photo, Joe's head was poking out of the engine bay of a car like a prairie dog from its hole. Others showed the restored cars that were the fruit of his skill and sweat. A couple even dated back to Joe's service in the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam.
The Joe stories were comic ones, befitting a man who loved blue collar comedians like Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy.
There was the time he turned a car in a tight circle in an even tighter parking situation. He managed to hit a washing machine and three cars – one of them twice.
There was Joe, the deer hunter who could see deer all day when his hunting partner never saw a creature.
There was Joe, the four by four king, who could stick a truck on a side hill, get out to appraise the situation, and find that his truck was so tilted he couldn't climb back in except by crawling down the truck bed.
They were all unlikely funny stories for a man from such sad beginnings.
He was born April 15, 1950, in Delaware, and orphaned while still a child.
He was passed around among kinfolk during his youth. His aunt moved to California, taking him along. While in high school, he nurtured dreams of playing professional baseball.
He graduated from Colfax High School, and received his draft notice one week later. As happened to draftees in those days, he was sent to Vietnam. He was wounded there and was awarded the Purple Heart.
After his discharge, he mastered the body and fender mechanic's trade and worked at it in Sacramento and Ukiah before coming to Lake County. The dust and fumes of the trade undermined his health and forced him into premature retirement and his role as neighborhood character.
His final fate overtook him while he was under treatment at the VA Hospital at Fort Miley, San Francisco. He was interred with honors at the new National Cemetery at Dixon.
There were no sad faces at the celebration of his life. It was a fitting end to the man who could walk into a group of glum people and jolt them out of their mopes with his favorite phrase about life – "Ah, it's all just a walk in the park."
E-mail George Dorner at
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COLUMBIA, S.C. – Army Pvt. Joseph B. Henry has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.
During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches, and field training exercises.
Henry is the son of Glenn W. Henry of Upper Lake and Debby A. Kubas of Nice.
