DEC. 1, 2017
Wounded troops receive the royal treatment By Bianca Kaplanek
CARLSBAD — For Operation Game On’s combat wounded troops who had just spent eight weeks learning the game of golf, Nov. 10 turned out to be a fitting day — for a number of reasons — to be measured for custom equipment at The Kingdom
for the DP World Tour Championship. About 100 employees gathered at the driving range to greet the troops with an ovation to thank them for their service, and former Canadian Tour player-t u r ned-music ia n Joe Horowitz sang “The
for our heroes thanks to the staff at TaylorMade,” Operation Game On founder Tony Perez said. “It was such an emotional day and one that I will never forget.” Perez, a Vietnam War veteran and father of professional golfer Pat Perez, created Operation Game On in
The staff at TaylorMade greets combat wounded troops before a Nov. 10 fitting at The Kingdom in Carlsbad. Courtesy photo
El Camino Real
is on Jan. 20. “He (Trump) is the result of something that has been happening in our country for a long time, and now, we are just more engaged than ever,” she said. “The message that you’ll hear on Jan. 20 is ‘watch our (women’s) vote, watch how we are going to vote.’”
d Blv
KOCT STUDIO 78
o
be a school district race. While she said she didn’t want to necessarily thank Trump, she said that his presidency has galvanized a number of progressive efforts across the country. The Wagon Circle will be involved in one of the biggest upcoming efforts, the one-year anniversary of the 2017 Women’s March, which
OCEANSIDE
ieg
“We learned a lot about the political process,” Nava said. “The next 200 days, we are going to be really focusing on equipping young women and young leaders to be engaged in the process from now until the primary and beyond.” While Nava said the organization might not be endorsing candidates during the primary phase, they are encouraging their members to get involved in campaigns, whether it mean donating, working on a campaign or lobbying efforts at school board and council meetings. They also will be continuing to focus their efforts toward U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) and getting him to support reform that protects immigrants protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The group will also likely support a Democratic candidate to run against Issa following the primary election. Finally, Nava said, the group will be working with another group, Neighbors in Action, to engage in a nonpartisan door-to-door campaign to encourage residents to get involved with the political process and vote. “We are learning about people in the community and motivating them to really have a voice, and letting them know that our voice really matters now more than ever in this unique time in our history,” Nava said. Nava also said that the convention has inspired her to likely run for office in the near future. She didn’t say what office, but said it could
nD
ENCINITAS — It has been a year since Lisa Nava and a group of her friends met the Sunday after the 2016 presidential election to comfort each other, and resolved to “circle the wagons” around the groups they perceived as being threatened by President Donald Trump’s impending administration. Since that Sunday in November, the Wagon Circle has become a force in Encinitas, staging protests and actions against hate and bigotry, adopting a Syrian refugee family and hosting a pair of youth summits. The organization has taken aim at some of the most divisive Trump policies, including the proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, the proposed health care overhaul that would defund Planned Parenthood and the proposed travel ban that would bar foreign nationals from several Middle Eastern countries entry into the United States. On Sunday, Nov. 12, the organization celebrated its first anniversary and plotted out the next steps for the organization over the next 200 days before the June 5 primary elections. Nava, Wagon Circle’s founder, said the inspiration of the group’s 200-day plan came from October’s threeday Women’s Convention in Detroit, which three of the group’s members attended. The trio, Nava said, learned how to prepare women to mobilize in their communities and run for local and state offices.
ide
ns
ea Oc
5
Sa
By Aaron Burgin
Close to I-5, Hwy 76 & 78
76
s
Wagon Circle celebrates first year, looks ahead to 2018
TELEVISION STUDIO CENTRALLY LOCATED BETWEEN LOS ANGELES & SAN DIEGO IN OCEANSIDE, CA
chip. For more information call (760) 753-6413, visit Rancho Coastal Humane Society at 389 Requeza St., Encinitas, or log on to SDpets.org. Kennels and Cattery open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day but Tuesday.
ele
2008 to give returning combat-injured troops suffering from physical and mental disabilities a custom introduction-to-golf package. It is open to anyone undergoing treatment at Naval Medical Center San Diego, Naval Hospital Camp Pend-
Pet of the Week
Mr. Grey is pet of the week at your Rancho Coastal Humane Society. He’s a 2 1/2-year-old, 13-pound, male, domestic short-hair with a brown ticked coat. One of the care providers in the cattery described Mr. Grey as a “Man About Town,” meaning he’s social and outgoing with just a little bit of sass. Mr. Grey can be very independent when he wants to be left alone. Other times, he loves spending time with his humans and any other cats who happen to be around. The $100 adoption fee includes medical exam, vaccinations, spay and micro-
g An
Star-Spangled Banner.” Rahm, who won the Dubai tournament nine days later, chatted with the servicemen, signed a U.S. Open staff bag personalized for each one and hung around to take some pictures with them. “It was an awesome day
leton and the Veterans Administration’s Aspire Center as well as Vietnam War veterans. Participants receive golf lessons from PGA-certified instructors at the Del Mar Golf Center, a professional fitting session at The Kingdom, custom clubs, bags, shoes and gloves at no cost to them or the military. Doctors, prosthetic specialists and counselors have found golf is an essential link to the rehabilitation process for combat-wounded military personnel with extreme physical and mental disabilities. “As you know, golf can be a very frustrating game to learn, but it takes their minds off of their injuries and brings out that ‘can do, will do’ attitude instilled in them,” Perez said. “They really put quite a bit of effort into it.” “It’s more than golf,” said Petty Officer Nicole Heffel, who was part of the first all-female session last year. “It’s connecting with other veterans who all come from different paths. The camaraderie is the best part.” “This gave me the opportunity to find my sisters again,” said Spc. Rocio Ruiz, who has a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq and Kuwait. “I realized I’m not the only one going through what I’m going through.”
s Lo
at TaylorMade. In addition to being the day before Veterans Day, it marked the 242nd anniversary of the Marine Corps and the 23rd birthday of Spanish professional golfer Jon Rahm, who was at the Carlsbad facility preparing
B5
T he C oast News
KOCT offers a great facility and studio rental in North County, San Diego. Perfect for video, photo shoots, or sound/performance recording. The 1,050 sq.ft. stage is complete with a 180° cyc wall, green screen, and production gear for you to create your own commercial or talk show. KOCT also offers a mobile studio with the ability to stream live with HD studio cameras, switcher, recorders, teleprompter, crane and light kits. KOCT can provide talented crewmembers to ensure your production runs smoothly from inception to completion.
RESERVE YOUR SPACE TODAY! REQUEST A QUOTE FOR A FULL OR HALF DAY KOCT | 3038 Industry Street, Suite 101 Oceanside, CA 92054 760.722.4433 | koct@koct.org
CALL THE LUND TEAM IN 2018! 35
s in Year state lE Rea
North County’s Real Estate Family Since 1982!
BRE#01394870
760-438-0800 • www.LUNDTEAM.com