Published in the December 10-23, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
Robert Airoldi
Big news for Morgan Hill resident Lawson Sakai who served as a U.S. Army soldier during World War II in Europe. He served with the distinguished 442nd Infantry Regiment, made up of Japanese-Americans and the most decorated battalion in American history. He visited Morgan Hill Life’s office recently and showed us a special letter he received from the French Consulate in San Francisco from Pauline Carmona.
Carmona’s letter states: “I have the honor to send you my warmest congratulations on the occasion of your nomination as ‘Cevalier’ of the Legion of Honor, by a decree signed by the President of the French Republic on September 22, 2014.”
Photo by Marty Cheek
Lawson Sakai shows the letter from the French Consulate congratulatig him on his nomination as ‘Cevalier’ of the Legion of Honor.
Sakai will attend a ceremony in San Francisco Jan. 19 to receive the honor. Three or four other veterans from World War II who also fought in France will be presented with their medals too.
“There’s not that many of us (442nd soldiers) left,” Sakai said. “There’s only a handful. We have a lot of friends whom we’ve kept up a relationship, and there’s a lot of memorials in those cities we liberated. They maintain those cemeteries (where Americans are buried) and so they’re very appreciative.”
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Congratulations to the 69 parents who graduated in front of friends, family, school administrators, board members and the community Dec. 2 from the Parent Engagement Education Program. During the nine-week course the middle school parents learned how grades are used for college admittance and how to navigate the school system, among other things. The program is put on by the Morgan Hill Unified School District in partnership with the Parent Institute for Quality Education and the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley. Just another example of a quality program.
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Marisa Otto, the local Edward Jones financial advisor, is supporting the Morgan Hill Toys for Tots program by using her office as a drop-off location for this year’s toy drive. Local residents may help needy children by bringing in a new, unwrapped toy to the office, 275 Tennant Ave., Suite 206A, during regular business hours through Dec. 17. Other locations include the Residence Inn, 18620 Madrone Parkway; Morgan Hill Athletic Club, 126 Cochrane Plaza; PBNJ Boutique, 16195 Monterey Road; and Cochrane Storage, 411 Woodview Ave.
Pick up a new, unwrapped toy and drop it off at one of the above locations.
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And though it is the season of giving, it is also the season of taking, as property crimes increase at this time of year. Nationwide, many packages are stolen this time of year, so the U.S. Postal Service is being extra careful with where and when they drop off your deliveries and has a few tips for customers. Some suggestions to safeguard parcel delivery include:
· If you’re not going to be home, ask your neighbor to pick up parcels left at your door.
· Ask the post office to only leave a notice for all parcels; then the customer picks up at the blue dutch door (6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday
·Have parcels addressed to a family member or neighbor that stays home during the day.
You can find more information on how to report a stolen package on usps.com.
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With Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror and Christmas quickly approaching I just want thank all the people who make this publication possible. Our advertisers who support us, our readers who tell us how much they like Morgan Hill Life and those writers who help contribute to its content. Because of the support of our advertisers, we continue to grow. And with those additional advertisers comes more news space for additional content, making our contributors invaluable. Keep the comments coming, keep sending us calendar items and story ideas and we’ll keep putting out a quality-of-life community paper. Because without your participation, in whatever form that takes, Morgan Hill Life would not be the paper it is. Thanks!
