Mike Oberski
Veterans Day is a time to honor and thank those who have served in the military for their sacrifices and dedication. It’s an important day to show appreciation, and SaddleBrooke honored that pledge to our community and American veterans on Nov. 11 in the MountainView ballroom.
About 200 residents attended one of the most inspiring and enjoyable Veterans Day celebrations to honor our veterans you can imagine. It was the third year our resident and event coordinator Mike Oberski, accompanied by his wife Linda, led the tribute to our SaddleBrooke veterans both present and past. This year we had the special privilege of having in attendance a World War II veteran, 101-year-old John Reitz, who gave his testimony in 2023 and has also played trumpet in the SaddleBrooke Winds and Strings orchestra.
The presentation consisted of four beautifully done songs by the SaddleBrooke Sonoran Singers, directed by Cora Peters, along with the duet singers known as Thanks for the Memories, Irene Pierce and Mike Rutt, who sang a wonderful, patriotic version of the song “Hallelujah,” written by a Navy veteran.
To start the event, a blessing and the Pledge of Allegiance was given by Pastor John Miller, followed by the American Legion Color Guard. The event was centered around four SaddleBrooke community veteran speakers, Deborah McGeehan, Fred Hughes, Matt Kambic, and the emcee for the event, Jonathan Green. Each veteran shared their military experience and what it meant to them to serve our country. Jonathan Green, veteran and former radio host, led the entire event and did an exceptional job as emcee with his dedication and humor.
Another interesting highlight was the presentation of two handmade quilts by our own SaddleBrooke Quilters, presented as a Quilt of Valor. Thank you, Kristine Prass and Linda Crum, for organizing this event. The quilts were given to Mike Holley and, well, yes, the event coordinator Mike Oberski for their military service.
Throughout the celebration, there were photographs behind the veterans of their tour of duty as they gave their testimony. At the halfway point, a video that raised the emotions even higher was a video titled Most Beautiful American Patriotic Anthem You Ever Heard, shown on the big screen in the ballroom.
The event concluded with the song “The Prayer,” by the Sonoran Singers. This song is very appropriate for Veterans Day because of its themes of hope, peace, and spiritual protection, which resonate with the sacrifices and service of veterans. The closing statement honoring our veterans was done by Pastor Mark Harris. We want to thank SaddleBrooke TWO Lifestyle Director Elizabeth Lawson and all the behind-the-scenes technical work done by Ric Tessitore.
Three separate tables were set up to showcase the SaddleBrooke Quilters; Senior Village, led by Amy Vega and Linda Hampton; and our SaddleBrooke World War II Club representative Mark Schwartz. A special thank you to Treasure Trunk Estate Sales who donated about 40 military books free to our veterans.
Some of the responses back from the attendees were:
“Your event yesterday was just spectacular!” —Linda H.
“Thanks so much for all of your hard work, putting together such an awesome show! The Veterans Day service was perfect … congrats!” —Irene P.
“Hello, Mike, you and your wife did a fantastic job putting together the Veterans Day event and celebration honoring our veterans.” —Kristine P.
“I am grateful to you all for what you do for our veterans!” —Kriss P.
“Never was so much owed by so many to so few.” —Winston Churchill