Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Kyle enlisted as a Ground Medic and in March 2003 participated in the initial invasion of Iraq where he spent 6 months bandaging, stitching, casting, and caring for wounded soldiers. Kyle was then deployed to Afghanistan and promoted to Flight Medic participating in dangerous missions to recover the critically wounded by descending from helicopters into bullet-ridden battlefields. In 2005, Kyle assisted a group of Marines ambushed by Improvised Explosive Devises and ground fire, including 4 trapped underneath an overturned vehicle and others who were critically injured. At the request of MEDEVAC, Kyle prepared his aircraft, obtained additional medical help and flew to the ambush site where the battle still raged as his aircraft arrived under heavy enemy fire. Upon landing, Kyle treated 2 Marines awaiting evacuation and then moved to the ambush site 500 meters up the road to render aid to the Marines pinned under the vehicle, made 2 trips into direct fire carrying a large gas-operated extrication saw to assist in extricating the wounded, loaded 2 onto a nearby vehicle for evacuation, and with insufficient room for a 3rd litter “buddy carried” a third Marine behind the vehicle to the waiting aircraft. Kyle’s dedication to duty under fire resulted in the evacuation of 6 critically injured Marines. For his “heroism, selflessness, and calm under pressure” Kyle received the Bronze Star with Valor. After volunteering for an extended Afghanistan deployment, an incoming mortar exploded near him in camp, and the percussion threw him across a tent resulting in whiplash and oxygen depletion to the brain. Despite experiencing difficulties with processing information and memory, Kyle completed his deployment. Upon returning home, Kyle was deemed a 100% Disabled Veteran.

June wanted to enlist in the Army immediately after the United States entered World War II, but women were required to be 21 to enlist. As the eldest of seven children, she had plenty of leadership experience directing her six siblings on the chores on her parents’ small two-acre farm in rural, coal country, Norvelt, Pennsylvania. In 1940, June left home to find a job in Detroit. She rented a room from a local family and was hired as a milling machine operator at a manufacturing company making drill bits In December 1943, she returned to Norvelt to celebrate Christmas with her family and tell them she was going to enlist in the Army. Her mother accompanied June to her enlistment ceremony in Detroit on December 31, 1943. Why did June want to serve her country? June was and is a patriot. June reported to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia for basic training and then to Army Air base Ellington Field, Houston, Texas where she was assigned to the base motor pool. Upon arrival, a sergeant pointed to a three-quarter ton truck on the tarmac and asked June if she could drive. June responded “Yes” while crossing her fingers behind her back. The sergeant instructed her to teach another WAC to drive the truck, telling them to drive around the 23,000-acre base and return when they both could drive. June completed the mission successfully, but when it was the other WAC’s turn behind the wheel of the stick shift truck, she drove into a ditch a mile from the motor pool, and had to walk back to the motor pool for assistance. But, by the end of the day, both WACs were competent drivers, and were assigned to deliver vehicles where needed. June was a “go-getter” and did not want to just sit around the motor pool waiting for a call to deliver a vehicle. Since all vehicles require service, mileage, and maintenance reports and more, June decided to learn all she could about those reporting and management responsibilities. When the sergeant in charge was assigned to foreign service, June stepped into his job. After a review, she was promoted to sergeant. June was the only female in the base motor pool to be promoted to sergeant during her tour of duty from May 1944 to December 1945. For her service to our country during, June was awarded the WWII Victory Medal, the American Theater Medal, and a Good Conduct Medal. June is 100 years young and resides in Santa Ana.

Upon graduating from UCSB in 1966, Scott entered the Army as a private for combat infantry training before being assigned to Ordnance Officers Candidate School, graduated as a 2nd lieutenant in 1968, reported to Company D of the 709th Maintenance Battalion in Vietnam in support of the Ninth Infantry Division as an Ordnance Specialist providing major maintenance and recovery support for armored personnel carriers, trucks, and electronic communication equipment and small arms bunker and perimeter support for ground troops. He is President of the Freedom Committee of Orange County, a volunteer organization of veterans who bring living history to Orange County schools by sharing personal stories from WWII, Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East, including Pearl Harbor, D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, air battles in the South Pacific and over Fortress Europe, freeing inmates of German concentration camps, and watching an atom bomb drop on Japan. Scott is an invaluable resource to Military Appreciation Day by identifying veterans from Orange County to honor at the Hoag Classic. Scott’s military honors include a Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, National Defense Ribbon, Vietnam Service Medal with 2 bronze stars, Vietnam Civil Action Ribbon, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry Medal with palm, and Vietnam Campaign Medal. Scott resides in Costa Mesa with his wife Linda. He received the City of Costa Mesa Mayor’s Award for service to his community.

After graduating from Princeton in 1969, Jay served 7 years in the Navy, flying A-6 Intruder carrier based jet bombers and as a staff officer with NATO in Naples, Italy. He flew almost 200 combat missions in Vietnam during the Linebacker air campaigns in 1972 over North and South Vietnam. While working for NATO, Jay was in charge of the Southern Region of Europe’s nuclear strike plan and also obtained a Master’s in Business Administration through the Boston University overseas program. His decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, 11 Strike/Flight Air Medals, 2 Individual Flight Medals, 2 Navy Commendation Medals with Combat “V”, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star. After leaving the Navy, Jay earned a law degree from the UC Hastings and practiced estate planning law in Orange County for over 30 years. He has volunteered for many years as a member of the Hoag Planned Giving Advisory Committee. Jay and his wife Penny reside in Newport Beach.

Joe entered the United States Marine Corps in 1990, trained as an Infantry Rifleman, and was re-assigned to the Marine Corps Security Forces Regiment, a dedicated Marine security, anti-terrorism, and close-quarters battle unit. Joe was stationed aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, and deployed twice to the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm. He also deployed to the Philippines to provide rescue and humanitarian aid after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. During Joe’s last deployment, his unit was diverted to Somalia to assist with Operation Restore Hope. Joe was meritoriously promoted to Corporal and maintained that rank until being honorably discharged in 1994. Joe’s military honors include the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Navy Battle “E” Ribbon, and he was a 4-time Rifle Expert and 2-time Pistol Expert. Joe is currently the Acting Chief of Police for the City of Newport Beach, having previously served since 2002 as a patrol officer, accident investigator, fraud detective, robbery-homicide detective, patrol sergeant, internal affairs officer, area commander, traffic commander, jail manager, executive officer to the chief of police, and Deputy Chief of Police, Detective Division Commander. Joe is Chairman of the Board of the Newport Beach 1st Battalion, 1st Marines Foundation, which provides support and relief for U.S. Marines and their family members who are injured, ill, distressed, or otherwise in need of financial or other assistance, does barracks renovation and painting, provides super meals at Thanksgiving, supports the USMC scholarship event, and provides the Field of Honor project in Newport Beach with labor to install the flags and to provide distinguished personnel for the Memorial Day ceremonies. He is also a board member of Leadership Tomorrow, a non-profit organization of citizens and leaders who work together to make a positive impact in their communities. Joe has a B.S. in Criminal Justice from CSU, Long Beach, a Masters in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix and is a graduate of several advanced law enforcement training courses, including the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute, the Force Science Institute Certification Course, the Executive Development Courses for both California POST and the California Police Chiefs Association, and the California Police Chiefs Executive Leadership Institute at Claremont Graduate University’s Drucker School of Management.

Private First Class James McCloughan distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty from May 13th through 15th, 1969, while serving as a combat medic with Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division. On May 13th, with complete disregard for his life, McCloughan ran 100 meters in an open field through heavy fire to rescue a comrade too injured to move and carried him to safety. That same day, 2d Platoon was ordered to search the area near Nui Yon Hill when the platoon was ambushed by a large North Vietnamese Army force and sustained heavy casualties. Again, with complete disregard for his life and personal safety, Private First Class McCloughan led two Americans into safety of a trench while being wounded by shrapnel from a rocket propelled grenade. On May 14th, the platoon was once again ordered to move out towards Nui Yon Hill. McCloughan was wounded a second time by small arms fire and shrapnel from a rocket propelled grenade while rendering aid to two Soldiers in an open rice paddy. During the morning darkness of May 15th, Private First Class McCloughan knocked out a rocket-propelled grenade position with a grenade, fought and eliminated enemy soldiers, treated numerous casualties, kept two critically-wounded soldiers alive through the night, and organized the dead and wounded for evacuation at daylight. His timely and courageous actions were instrumental in saving the lives of his fellow soldiers. Private First Class McCloughan’s personal heroism, professional competence, and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Americal Division, and the United States Army.

Jack was a Gunner’s Mate from 1942-46 in the Naval Armed Guard in World War II, a special Naval branch that defended merchant ships against enemy attack, on the troop transport ships USS Cape Meares in the Battle of the North Atlantic (’42-’43) and USAT Etolin in the South Pacific (’43-’45). Armed Guard service was fraught with danger, suffering, and staggering casualty rates, yet one veteran wrote “The Armed Guard hasn’t had as much publicity as the average two-headed calf.” Jack also served as a Gun Captain on the Edsall-class destroyer escort USS Finch as part of a Convoy Support Group of anti-submarine warships actively deployed to attack submarines while protecting convoys crossing the Atlantic between the East Coast and England, Ireland and France and back, helping end the war in Europe (’45) and the Pacific (’45-‘46) as the Finch patrolled from Hawaii through the Marshall Islands and the Mariana Islands (Aug. ’45). Allied prisoners captured on Corregidor from “hell-camps” on Formosa (now Taiwan) where they had been held under brutal conditions (’46). Jack is 94 and resides in Newport Beach.

Gordon served in the Navy from 1942-1946. During WW II he was assigned to Navy Air Group 19, including from June to December 1944 aboard the USS Lexington that led the Fast Carrier Task Force in the Pacific where Group 19 consisted of 36 fighters, 36 bombers and 18 torpedo planes, and Gordon was a yeoman to the group commander. From the Lexington, the group fought in many of the Pacific’s major naval battles, including the Battle of the Philippine Sea where over 300 enemy aircraft were destroyed and a carrier, a tanker and a destroyer were sunk, as American aviators nearly knocked Japanese naval aviation out of the war. Lexington’s aircraft also flew sorties over Guam, the Palau, Bonin, and Caroline Islands, and Mindanao and the Manila area in the Philippines followed by Okinawa and Formosa, and finally at the Battle of Leyte Gulf. During Leyte, the climatic American naval victory over Japan, the Lexington was under constant attack, yet her aircraft helped assisted sink a Japanese battleship, 3 aircraft carriers and a cruiser. As a result of a kamikaze attack, Gordon suffered burns to his hands attempting to put out a fire burning a seaman and his clothing. Gordon’s military honors include the World War II Victory Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon, American Theater Ribbon, Philippine Liberation Ribbon and a Purple Heart. Gordon is 96 and resides in Lake Forest.

Upon graduating from high school, Fred enlisted in the U.S. Army in June 1943. He served in World War II as an infantryman in the 87th Division in Europe. The 87th’s first campaign was the Saar where the untested American troops held their ground against a German night attack. Moving eastward in a convoy, Fred was wounded in the head by a shrapnel fragment. He returned to the front for the Ardennes Campaign, fought hand-to-hand combat in snow 4 feet deep at -30° to -40° defending tank, artillery and infantry attacks, helping stop the Germans from reaching Antwerp in the Battle of the Bulge – the greatest land battle in American history led by General George Patton and a key to victory in Europe. The 87th’s third campaign was Rhineland, the crossing of the Rhyne and Mosel Rivers, where the “Butcher’s Bill” was terribly high, as many Americans gallantly paid with their lives as the horrific price of victory. His final campaign was Central Europe, taking the former German capitol of Weimar and the Buchenwald Death Camp, the site of the murder of millions of innocent victims. Fred’s decorations include a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and Combat Infantry, Good Conduct, European Theater w/4 battle stars, and WWII Victory Medals. Fred is 98 and resides in Villa Park.