Veterans Day 2026

About

Please join us at the USS Hornet as we commemorate Veterans Day. Our main program will start at 11 AM : Color Guard provided by: Civil Air Patrol, US Air Force Auxiliary MC Robert Butchart (USAF Ret.) Bio: Robert entered the United States Air Force in 1982. He served in Air Force Special Operations and in the United States Joint Service Special Operations Command; his last military assignment was in Central America with Navy Special Warfare, 2002. Robert’s secondary specialty code in the military was a Chaplain’s Assistant. Currently, Robert is assigned to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES); Robert is responsible for starting the Maritime Program for Cal OES. Keynote Speaker Michael Baker (USN Ret.) Bio: Michael Baker is a retired general, vascular, trauma surgeon and retired US Navy Rear Admiral. He is a widely known as a speaker in the Bay Area for Commonwealth Club/World Affairs, as a teacher for Osher LifeLong Learning on history, political science, and military affairs at Cal State East Bay and UC Berkeley, and still teaches combat casualty care at US Military bases and has completed 5 tours in Ukraine teaching Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS). We will finish with a wreath laying at the fantail. —————————————————- In the afternoon we will have a presentation at 1 PM : Jeremy Holm (US Army Ret.) will present “Rescue at Los Baños: One of World War II’s Greatest Rescue Missions.” On February 23, 1945, the 11th Airborne Division launched a daring operation behind Japanese lines on Luzon to liberate more than 2,100 Allied civilian internees imprisoned at the Los Baños camp. Hear the full story from Jeremy, 11th Airborne Division Historian. We will also have a flyover by the USS Hornet Memorial Squadron -exact timing TBD.