A Salute to OCEA Member Military Veterans

Left to right: Veterans and OCEA members Fernando Cueva, Jack Luster, and Robert Creasy participated in OCEA's "Salute to Veterans" video with OCEA Treasurer Anjali Essoe and Kristina Hernandez, OCEA staff.

Dear OCEA member,

Today, we celebrate Veterans Day. For many of us, today is an opportunity to enjoy time off with our families and friends. However, many OCEA members, who work to keep our communities safe, will remain on the job today.

Their sacrifice recalls something Sheriff’s Special Officer Robert Creasy said about his time serving overseas in the Marines, “We served in those faraway places so that others wouldn’t have to.”

Robert’s reflection connects those serving the public with those serving our country in uniform. As we enjoy the holiday with our families and friends, we should pause and express gratitude for those brave servicemen and women who place themselves in harm's way to defend our country. They gave up their freedom to protect ours.

Since 2013, Orange County unions, led by OCEA, veterans, and community leaders - have organized a free Veterans Day community event to pay tribute to veterans and their families. Unfortunately, we have been unable to hold this important event for the last two years due to the pandemic.

But we believe our union should still observe Veterans Day. OCEA President Lezlee Neebe recently invited four veterans and a military family member to the Heroes Hall Veterans Museum, located in Costa Mesa, to talk about their personal military service or the service of loved ones. Three of the featured veterans are current OCEA members committed to public service.

These men and women reflect our nation’s most cherished values – freedom, individual initiative, and the opportunity to seek our own American Dream. You can view the short video presentation of their military experiences here. The video credits feature a list of your fellow OCEA members who served our country in the armed forces.

They are the heroes among us.

Happy Veterans Day!

In Solidarity,

Charles Barfield
OCEA General Manager

Publication Date: November 11, 2021