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Photo by Jon Anderson.
About 350 people attended the Salute to VeteransBall at the Finley Center on Nov. 8, 2018.
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Salute to Veterans Ball information.
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Photo courtesy of Vettes 4 Vets.
Ed Pulido
Army Maj. Ed Pulido is a founding member of the Warriors for Freedom Foundation, a leadershipinstitute focused on the mental, physical and wellness support for wounded veterans and their families, and serves as senior vice president of the Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides educational scholarships to families of military service members who were killed or disabled while on active duty. He will be the keynote speaker for the 2019 Salute to Veterans Ball at the Finley Centerin Hoover on Nov. 7.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Dr. Larry DeLucas, a principal scientist at The Aerospace Corporation, sits at the dining room table at his home in Vestavia Hills. The image behindDeLucas is from the NASA Space Shuttle missionSTS-50 that DeLucas was on in 1992.
Maj. Ed Pulido was serving with a Coalition Military Assistance Training Team in Iraq in August 2004 when he hit a roadside bomb that caused extensive injuries to his left knee.
A doctor had to amputate his leg about six weeks later, soon ending his 19-year military career with the U.S. Army.
While Pulido was in the hospital, he experienced depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts that he said deeply wounded his positive spirit.
But he came to understand he couldn’t walk the journey alone and asked for help from God, his family and his country. He since has become a mental health spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Aroga Health and Acadia HealthCare.
Pulido will be the keynote speaker at the second annual Salute to Veterans Ball at the Finley Center at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex on Nov. 7.
The Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient is a founding member of the Warriors for Freedom Foundation, a leadership institute focused on the mental, physical and wellness support for wounded veterans and their families, and serves as senior vice president of the Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides educational scholarships to families of military service members who were killed or disabled while on active duty.
The Salute to Veterans Ball is a fundraiser for the Hoover-based Vettes4Vets organization, which supports programs that offer housing for homeless veterans and transportation, education support and personal, physical and mental support for veterans in need.
It’s a military-style ball with a sit-down, white tablecloth dinner. The event is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. with a mixer, silent auction and raffles. The program will run from 6 to 9 p.m., said retired Army Maj. Gen. David Burford, president and CEO of Vettes4Vets.
About 350 people attended the first ball last year, raising about $28,000 for Vettes4Vets, Burford said.
This is one of numerous events in Hoover scheduled throughout November to honor and support veterans. Here is a roundup of others:
VETERANS WEEK KICKOFF CELEBRATION
► Where: Hoover Public Library
► When: Nov. 3, 2-4 p.m.
► Cost: Free
The city’s Veterans Committee will open the week Nov. 3 with a program honoring the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2019 Freedom Award winner, Bluff Park resident and World War II veteran Bob Cahoon.
Cahoon served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II from 1942-45 in New Guinea and the Philippines, and then served in Okinawa after the war. Cahoon re-enlisted in the Air Force Reserves in 1950 and was called to serve during the Korean War at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana before being honorably discharged in December 1952.
After the kickoff program, the Alabama Youth Symphony will perform a patriotic concert at 2:30 p.m. with a reception will follow at 3 p.m. The celebration concludes with a flag-folding ceremony led by the Hoover High School ROTC at 3:45 p.m. at the flagpole in front of the library.
Photo by Jon Anderson
Thank A Vet Week 2018 kickoff 14
Capt. Robert Beaty, at left, chats with fellow Navy veteran Harold Arndt, who served in both the Korean War and World War II, at the city of Hoover's 2018 Thank A Vet Week kickoff celebration at the Hoover Public Library on Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018.
REDEDICATION OF VETERANS MEMORIAL ARBOR
► Where: Aldridge Gardens
► When: Nov. 4, 9 a.m.
► Cost: Free
People are invited to gather at the stainless steel arbor over the dam at the gardens at 9 a.m. The arbor is supported by 16 columns, each dedicated to a different veteran, and every period of war or conflict since World War I is represented on the arbor.
‘RETURN WITH HONOR’ DOCUMENTARY
► Where: Hoover Public Library Theatre
► When: Nov. 5, 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
► Cost: Free
The documentary about American prisoners of the Vietnam War will be shown at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. in the Hoover Library Theatre.
VETERANS CONCERT
► Where: Spain Park High School
► When: Nov. 5, 6:30 p.m.
► Cost: Free
The Spain Park High School bands perform this tribute concert in the school theater.
VETERANS CAREER FAIR AND RESOURCE FAIR
► Where: Finley Center at Hoover Metropolitan Complex
► When: Nov. 7, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
► Cost: Free
► Web: vettes4vets.org
Organizers expect 75 to 100 employers to be present, including American Cast Iron Pipe Co., Avadian Credit Union, Birmingham Police Department, Buffalo Rock, city of Hoover, Coca-Cola, Dunn Construction Co., Encompass Health, FBI, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, T-Mobile and Wood-Fruitticher.
The event is designed for veterans who are unemployed, underemployed or employed but unhappy with their job.
At least 30 organizations that serve veterans also will be on hand, including the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services, Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs, Alabama Veteran, the Birmingham office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Bradford Health Services, U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer’s office, Family Guidance Center, National Guard Employment Support Program, One Roof and Saving Forgotten Warriors.
More than 100 veterans attended last year.
ALABAMA VETERAN CASINO NIGHT GALA
► Where: Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa
► When: Nov. 10, 5:30 p.m.
► Cost: $100/person; $65/veteran or military
► Web: alabamaveteran.org
This event includes food, dancing & casino games and raises money for the Alabama Veteran nonprofit, which helps military members and veterans reach their full potential by meeting social, fitness, recreational and other needs. The speaker is retired Army Capt. Chad Fleming from Team Never Quit and Marcus Luttrel’s The Patriot Tour.
WAR ON THE GREENS GOLF TOURNAMENT
► Where: Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa
► When: Nov. 11, 8 a.m.
► Cost: $187.50/individual; $750/foursome; includes green fees, cart, breakfast, lunch & snacks
► Web: alabamaveteran.org
This tournament also raises money for Alabama Veteran. The group invites six to eight combat-wounded or disabled veterans and the immediate family of a military member killed on active duty during a time of conflict to participate in a weekend retreat that includes the golf tournament and gala.
RIVERCHASE PATRIOTS DINNER
► Where: Riverchase Country Club
► When: Nov. 17, 5-9 p.m.
► Cost: $75
► Web: vettes4vets.org
This fundraiser for Vettes4Vets is set to begin with a mixer at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 p.m. at the Riverchase Country Club.
Dr. Larry DeLucas, who served as an astronaut on the Columbia space shuttle mission in the summer of 1992 and later as NASA’s chief scientist for the International Space Station, will be the keynote speaker. About 120 people attended last year, Burford said. Tickets are $75 per person and can be obtained at vettes4vets.org.
RIVERCHASE PATRIOTS GOLF TOURNAMENT
► Where: Riverchase Country Club
► When: Nov. 18, 7:30 a.m.
► Cost: $150 per person, $600 for teams of four, $850 corporate sponsor for teams of four
► Web: vettes4vets.org
This tournament at the Riverchase Country Club is also a fundraiser for Vettes4Vets. Breakfast will start at 7:30 a.m., with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. The cost is $150 per person and includes breakfast and lunch. Sponsorships are available for $850 and include registration for four, breakfast, lunch and signage. A fifth golfer who is a veteran will be added to each foursome. Last year, there were about 15 groups, and the tournament and dinner the night before raised about $8,000, Burford said.