Juan M. Rivas
U.S. Navy Veteran – Santa Clarita Resident Desert Shield & Desert Storm Veteran
Juan Manuel Rivas was born in 1970 in Cali, Colombia, where he and his family lived until he was 2 years old when his father led the family by immigrating to London.
Juan’s family next immigrated to the United States via our visa program when he reached 10 years old.
They lived in Shenorock, a suburb of New York City, until moving yet again to Miami, where Juan graduated June 17, 1988, from Coral Gables High School lettering in soccer and track.
While in high school, Juan’s father worked as a waiter and Juan began his work ethic education as a bus boy and valet for several restaurants.
Immediately following high school graduation, at age 17, Juan convinced his very dejected mother to approve and sign his four-year U.S. Navy enlistment. Juan was actually much more interested in joining the U.S. Marine Corps but a slick Navy recruiter convinced him that he could earn his citizenship much easier, earn a college degree and become a fighter pilot.
Coincidentally, Tom Cruise’s 1986 blockbuster movie “Top Gun” was a big hit with Juan.
Desert Shield
One week after high school, Juan began boot camp at the Orlando, Florida, Naval Training Center and next he was assigned to Millington Naval Air Station in Tennessee for aviation structural mechanics school.
Two months later and upon completion of aviation structural mechanic training, Juan learned that he had rated in the top five of his class and was allowed to select his next assignment.
Juan actually preferred staying as close to home in the East as possible, but realizing the home of Topgun training at Naval Air Station Miramar was an option, he chose California.
Juan was assigned to Miramar for five years and was deployed for 112 days aboard the USS Independence aircraft carrier.
When Desert Shield erupted in 1990, the USS Independence entered the Persian Gulf, remaining on station to deter further Iraqi aggression.
Juan’s primary responsibility, which was critical, was inspecting F-14 Tomcats onboard the carrier just prior to take-off patrolling the “no fly zone,” which Juan found incredibly exhilarating.
Russian Bear
While crossing the Indian Ocean, Juan and his shipmates were astounded the day a Russian spy plane, a mammoth four-propeller aircraft nicknamed “Russian Bear,” flew low and slow over their carrier’s bow.
In December 1990, the USS Ranger relieved Juan’s USS Independence and they journeyed back to San Diego.
In 1992, after serving three years on the USS Independence, they arrived in Atsugi, Japan, for the next year.
Once Juan’s four-year enlistment came to a close he returned to Naval Station Miramar.
While he had been promoted to second class petty officer, rank E-5, Juan chose to re-enlist for another four-year stint.
Juan served two years at Miramar assigned to Navy Fighter Weapons School (AKA: Topgun training) and his chief responsibility was performing maintenance on A-4 Skyhawks.
1st Class Petty Officer
While at Miramar, Juan began yearning to serve much closer to his Miami family.
Thus, he sought and gained assignment back to Millington Naval Air Station for six months of specialty training. Juan became a non destructive inspection technician (NDI Tech) inspecting aircraft parts including jet engine blades.
In September 1994, Juan was next assigned to Helicopter Support Squadron 6 at Norfolk, Virginia, where he worked on Vietnam-era CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters. At long last, Juan was proudly sworn in as a genuine United States citizen on Oct. 13, 1994.
In 1992, Juan married his first wife and they had two lovely daughters, Monica and Natalie, but sadly their marriage fell apart, resulting in a 2002 separation and a 2004 divorce.
Juan was promoted in June 1996 to 1st class petty officer, rank E-6, and became lead petty officer over a detachment of 26 sailors. Infatuation
In 2002, while assigned as lead petty officer to the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, Juan purposely chewed out a young female sailor under his command for a minor infraction.
This brash sailor, Jennifer, would have none of it and promptly corrected Juan. He was immediately infatuated with her assertiveness, charm and beauty, leading to a long period of getting to know each other by having lunch together and talking as often as possible.
Once back at port in May 2003, they began dating for one year and as her Navy service concluded, they mutually decided that it was prudent to tie the knot. By that time, they had jointly purchased a home and clearly were very happy together.
In 2004, they were married on a beautiful beach at Dam Neck Beach, Virginia, by a local justice of the peace with one witness present. Shock and awe
Meanwhile, as a nondestructive inspection technician Juan deployed for five months aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt in 2003 to the Mediterranean Sea and participated in “Iraqi Freedom.”
Their mission was launching constant nighttime air strikes, nicknamed “Shock and Awe”, against Saddam Hussein’s forces in Baghdad and Juan’s responsibility was inspecting and providing maintenance to the F-18 and F-14 fighter jets.
“Once our boys were airborne many of us retired to our break room and watched on TV our bombing of Baghdad,” Juan said. “As war raged on, we could see the effectiveness of our campaign became increasingly clear.”
Afterward, it was back to Norfolk, Virginia in 2005 where Juan received a
Kuwait Liberation Medal is a foreign military decoration that was awarded by the Kuwait government to those who served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
life-changing set of orders assigned to the Dam Neck Naval Training Center, Virginia Beach.
He became a leadership trainer and facilitator for three years at several Navy installations in the Virginia Beach area and while there he trained leadership techniques to over 1,500 sailors ranked E-4 to E-7.
Juan also mentored 20 sailors to join him to become master trainers.
Honorable discharge
In September 2008, Juan earned his bachelor’s degree in human resources management from Excelsior College and he was promoted to chief petty officer (E-7) in 2006.
In 2008, Juan re-enlisted for three more years and was assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan.
As the ship’s leading chief petty officer in the Aircraft Division, Juan and the USS Bataan took an eight-month deployment to the Persian Gulf and three months for humanitarian support following Haiti’s horrific 2010 earthquake.
After 23.5 years, Juan was ranked fourth of 40 chief petty officers as he retired with an honorable discharge on Halloween, Oct. 31, 2011.
Military service, humanitarianism
Juan returned home to Jennifer and his two beautiful girls whom Jennifer was raising as her own. Soon, Juan moved his family in search of warmer weather to Southern California and over the next several years he held various management leadership consulting positions with Edison, NBC, Universal and others.
In 2018, Juan became director of organization development with 20th Century Fox where he works to this day.
Along the way, he and Jennifer had planned to adopt a few children and following Jennifer’s volunteer work at a Ugandan orphanage home they adopted little 22-month-old Xavier in July 2016.
In December 2017, they adopted 12-year-old Johnny; both adoptions took a year to process.
While interviewing Juan, I was delighted to meet these two fine boys who enjoy playing soccer.
Juan and Jennifer, you are a true credit to our fine community and deserve high praise for your military service and your humanitarianism.
(Top) Rivas receives a promotion.
The Rivas family.
(Right) Rivas on the flight deck.
Courtesy photos
Chief Petty Officer Juan Rivas
Juan and Jennifer Rivas
The Santa Clarita Valley Signal publishes the following list of names (in alphabetical order), of all known veterans from the Santa Clarita Valley, who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. We publish this list to thank those for their sacrifice. Anyone wishing to add a name to the list, may contact The Signal via email at Letters@SignalSCV.com. Happy Veterans Day!
Aboulafia, Joe
Acuna, Daniel Acuna, Robert Adams, James Adams, Willie Adams, Winston
Adkins, Dennis
Adkins, Glen Age, Pacola
Agnes, Gregory
Aguilar Sr., George C. Aguilar, Gabriel Aguilar, George Aguirre, Jay Ahn, Thomas Alba, Anthony Albert, Tom Aleman, Angelo Alexander, Dean Aliano, George Allen, Fred C Allsman, Jonathan Allsman, Manning
“Mike” Alphie, Shane Alva, Steven Alvarado, Jose Alvarez, Oscar Jose Alvidrez, Frank Amdahl, Lowell Amstutz, Marvin Anaya, Wayne Anderson, Edward Anderson, Jerry Anderson, Ron Andrews Sr., James Andrews, Don Andrews, Dan Angulo, Michael J. Aposhian, Ed Aquilani, Mario Arguello, R. Anthony Argueta, Issac Argueta, Jose Arispe, Tito Ariss, Rushdi Arnett, Lawrence Arnold, Fred Arnold, Robert Arnot, Jack Arthur, John Asam, Ken
Ashcraft, John Austin, Edmond Avalos, Juan Azevedo, T.J. Baby, John
Backman, Terry
Baerenz, Peter Bailey, Duane Bain, Kimberlin Baird, Richard Bajgrowicz, Dennis Baker, Brian Bakunas, Vic Baldwin, Dan Ball, Chris Ballam, Maria Ballhorn, Sean Balsz, Henry Bamber, Norman Banda, Ramon Baptist, Victor Barber, Robin Barclay, Florence Barker, Rick Barlow, Gabriel John Barlow, Lucas Gardner Barlow, Perry
Barnes, Melvin Barnes, Michael Barnett, J. Barnett, Trevor Barr, Michael Barragan, David Barreras, Aurelio Barrows, Jim Bartash, Chris Bartash, Dennis C. Barth, James Barthe, Fred Beauer, William Bauerle, Bernie Beall, John Beam, Roy Beauer, Michael Beck, Tom Beckett, Barry G. Bedford, Gregory Beener, Ortha “Alice” Behrens, J. B. Belding, Ned Belisario, Alvin Bench, Evan Benitez, Anthony Benham, Robert Bennett, Harry Bennett, York Bernal, Clayton Bernards, Doug Bernards, Jeff Bernier, Bertrand Bernson, William Bertoldo, Geoffrey Besel, Randolph “Julian” Beverly, Nathan Bice-Bey, Charles Billy, Steve Binkley, Kenneth Bird, Stephen D. Bird, Stuart Black, John Blackson, Ralph Blake, Fred Blancher, Jr., Edwin G. Bland, Jon Blankenship, Owen Blayhut, Don Bledsoe, Jack Bleiler, Les Blumel, Jim Blumenfeld, Steven Bodeau, Paul Boggio, David Boller, George Bomben, Raymond Boon, Donald Boone, Al Boone, James Borcher, Steven Borella, Bob Borella, Bruce Borgen, Edward Bost, Jack Bostwick, Harry Boswell, Todd Bouchard, Dennis Boudoin, Charles Boyd, Doug Boyd, William Boydston, David Boydston, Dean Boydston, Doris Boydston, Kenneth Boydston, Norene Boydston, Ronald Boydston, TimBen Boydston, Wayne
Boyer III, Samuel H. Boyle, Frank Bradley, Daniel Bradshaw, Robert Bragdon, Randall Brandriff, Stephen Brannon, George Bressell, Edgar D. Brockway, Don Brodt, George Broline, Robert Brown, Bruce Brown, Bruce P. Brown, George Brown, Kaitlan Brown, Roger E. Brown, William Brownell, Orville Bruce, Robert Bruns, Tim Buchan, Jonathan Burnell, Robert Burnett, David Burns, Wayne Buscarina, Ken Buxkemper, David Byers, Charles L. Cahill, Hugh Callas, Nick Campbell, Robert J. Campbell, Thomas Canaday, Harold Canevari, Ronald Canzoneri, Corey J. Caprioli, Michael Cardenas, Christopher Carl, Roger Carlson, Eric Carlson, Peter Carroll, John Carroll, Patrick Carson, Don Carter, Frederick Carter, Fredrick Carter Jr., John Carter, Paul Carter, Robert L. Casas, Christina Case, Thomas Casebolt, Mike Cassidy, Pete Casson, Jim Castillo, Richard Catlett, James Catron, Lee Celauis, Dalton Cenci, Daniel Cesaroni, Richard Chaffin, Edward H. Chaffin, Howard L.
Chambers, Andrew Chapman, Dan Chase, Kristine
Chase, Robert Chiarello, Joseph Child, Jerry
Christensen, Harry Cisneros, Alexander
Clark, Ronald
Clarke, Ralston A. Cleary, John T.
Clifton, William
Cobb, Gary
Cochran, Russel Cockerell, Stanley Coffey, Jason Coffman, Ed Cohen, David Coleman, John
Colley, Edward Collier, Terry M. Collins, Charles F. Collins, Greg Collins, Robert Collins, Wayne Colonello, Dan Comer, Kevin Comer, Robert Comerford, Daniel Comerford, William Compton, Robert Conant, Andrew W. Conant, Timothy J. Cone, Richard Contant, Ron Contreras, Ramon Cook, Henry Cook, Michael Cook, Richard Cook, Stephen Cook, Walton Cooke, Jeffrey Cooper, Bill Cooper, Dwayne Coppinger, Thomas Cornick, Kimberly Corso, John Cortes, Steve Cortez, John Costanzo, Frank Couch, Jesse Coward Sr., Melvin V. Cox, Daniel Cox, Kent Coyle, John Craig, Danny Craig, Keith Crathorne, Wayne Crawford, Jack M. Cross, Jack Cross, Lon Crossley, Bryan Cruikshank, R. Cruz, Herald Cuevas, Xavier Cummings, Larry Curameng, Samuel Curry, Keith Cusick, Mike Cusumano, Gary D’Amico, Michael Dalby, Michael Dalton, Rick Dammeier, Patrick Damour, Dennis Danihel, Leo Danis, Robert Dapp, Michael Darnell, Carl Dauer, Emily Daugherty, Gary Davidson, Clifford Davis, Robert Davis, Weldon Degnan, James Dekay, Ron Deldotto, Jay Delgado, Hernan Dell, Wayne Dellamalva, Gary Dennington, Michael Dennis, David DeRosa, Cody Destackelberg, John Dettman, Robert Deutsch, John Dewhurst, Gail DeWit, Ben
Diekman, Carl Diem, Robert Dierckman, Tom Dieters, Louis J. DiGiovanni III, Frank Dinsenbacher, William Disilverio, Robert Dobrow, Dave Dobrow, Pete Dolan, Steve Dolson, David H. Domino, Gary Donahue, J. Donnelly, Jerry Dortch, John L. Doty, Eugene Doty, Jim Drexel, James Drexel, Jim Drexl, Jim Dritz, Steven Duben, Steven DuBois, John Dunay, Ed Duncan, Clarence Duncan, Leonard Dunn, Russell Duquette, William Duxbury, Kevin Dyer, Clint Easter, Paul J. Eastwood, Richard Eaton, Richard Edwards, Barry Edwards, David Edwards, Jeffrey Edwards, John Effertz, Don Eigel, Dennis Lee Eisler, Fred Eisler, Lloyd Ekeberg, Eric Ekstrom, Richard Eldart, Donald Elliott, John “Jack” Ellis, Joseph M Ellis, Robert Ellis, Sean Ellrodt, Bernie Elson, James Elwood, Loretto Emard, Ambrose Enamorado, Daniel Endo, Joe Endress, Robert Eng, Kevin Enright, Scott Erickson, Calvin Erickson, Steven Ernst, Donald Escobar, Juan Estes, Dan Estey, Michael R. Estrella, Romel Evans, John Eveland, Wilbur Fahlstrom, Mats Farmer, Chris Farr, Donald Farragher, Dennis Farrell, Robert Fatta, Angela Fechser, Mark Feigerle, John Feldman, Paul Feldmann, Ernst Fender, Joseph Ferdman, Benjamin Fernandez, Ted
—The Signal
A8 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2025 THE SIGNAL
Fessler, Fred
Festa, Eddie J.
Festa, Edward B.
Festa, Rick T.
Fielder, Jo Ann R. Filing, Paul Fimbres, Michael Fiscus, Troy Fisher, James Fisher, Jeannette Fisher, Roy Fitzgerald, Tommy Flatt, Dale Lee Don Fleming Flittner, Gary Flores, Ricardo Floyd, Gary Fontana, Carl Foote, Jim Forte, Ernest Fortine, Bruce Foster, Michael Fowler, Joseph Fowler, Michael Fox, James Franco, Jesse Franklin, Richard Franklin, Scott Franz, Mike Fredrickson, Richard Fretheim, Gene Frothinger, Fred Fuka, Ronald Fullerton, Gary Furutani, Ken Futrell, Johnny Ray Futrell, Marvin Gadbois, Christian Galarneau, Dean Galarneau, Robert Gallagher, Billie Gallimore, Terry Gamboa, Ernest Gandy, Albert Garcia, Charlie M. Garcia, James Garcia, John Garcia, Mike Gardner, Jason Garrecht, John Garth, Winston Gartland, David Gasior, Robert Gaudio, Ralph Gauthier, Richard Gaxiola, Luis Chris Gehrke Jameson Gehrke Geiger, Harold Gerbing, John W. Gerdwagen, Martin Gerken, Mark Gerst, Douglas Dale Gesin, Fred Gibbs, Randall Gibbons, Michael Gilbert, David Gilbert, Robert Gill, Bob Gillum, David Gilman, Dave Ginger, Allen Giordano, Robert J. Girton, Patrick Glass, Bernie Gleim, Paul M. Glenn, Keith Godfrey, Richard Goldsberry, Charles Goldstein, Jess Gomez, Joe Gontarz, Ted Gonzalez, Ed Gonzalez, Ernest Good, Robert Goodlin, Victoria Gordon, Dustin Gorham, David Gormley, Bob Gormley, Robert Goslin, Gordon Graber, David B. Graham, Don Graham, George Graham, Ronald Granger, Richard
Grant, Irvin Grant, Thomas Graves, Joseph Gray, Jay Greaves, Andre Green, Carol Green, Jean Greenberg, Joshua Greenquist, Robert Greenwood, Donald Grevilius, Nil Gribble, Rex L Griggs, Robert Grossi, Robert Grossman, Karl Gruber, Fred Guerrero, Martin Gunnarson, Rudolph Gutierrez, Eric Haaff, Leon da Hackett, Jim Haddix, Carl Hager, Steven Hagstrom, Wallace Hahnlein, Gunter Halbfinger, Melvyn Hall, Cody Hall, John D. Haller, Austin “Buzz” Haller, Howard Halloran, Michael Hammock, Cecil Hanie William Hansen, Clayton Hanson, Robert Haralson, Jimmie L. Harder, Edmund Hardie, Richard Harms, Kenneth Harper, Robert Harrell, Joe Harris, Bob Harrison, Charles Hartfield, Denita Hasler, Kenneth Hassen, Kenneth Hatami, Jon Hatter, Thomas Hawkins, Dwight Hawkins, Robert F. Hazard, Robert Heagey, Robert Heberer, Donald Hebert, Jared Hedges, John Heinisch, Matthew Heinisch, Robert Heintzman, Jim Helm, Craig Hemphill, Thomas Henderson, Daniel Henke, Floyd ‘Skip’ Henneberque, Ed Henry, Chris Henson, Jerry Hermann, Roy R. Hernandez, David D. Hernandez, John R. Herr, Chad Herrera, Alfonso Hershey, George Hickey, Bill Higgins, Stephen Hildreth, Gale Hinze, Jeffrey Hocutt, George Hodge, Carl Hoff, Jerry Hoffman, Edward Hoffman, Richard Hogan, Ed Hogan, James Holguin, Ralph Holland, Dell Holland, Heber Hood, Kimberly C. Hoover, Edwin Hopp, Steve Horanberg, Guy Horanberg, Patricia Hotton, Robert Houlett, Kenneth M. Houston, Bob Houston, Ivan Hruby, John Huenemeier, Steven
Humelbaugh, Frank Humphrey, Edward Humphries, Joe Hunt, Dale Hurt, George Hurtado, Jose Hutchings, Richard Ickes, Roger
Ihms, John
Irace, William
Irwin, Jason Irwin, Kenneth Isaacs, Roy Isgrigg, Thomas Ito, Harold Jackson, David
James, Henry Jargmillo, Alex Jarnagin, James Jauregui, Michael Jeffrey, Dick Jenkins, Mark Jensen, Gerald Jensen, Paul Johns, Dennis
Johnson, Breon Johnson, Philip Johnston, Paul Jones, Alexa L. Jones, Andrew Jones, James Jones, Malcom
Jones, Orpheus
Jones, Richard Jones, Samuel Jones, Steven Jones, Thomas Junker, Dennis Kahovec, Curtis Kalhusdal, Peter Kalin, Ben Kaplan, Robert Karpinski, Walter Karppinen, Robert Karr, John Katan, Robert Katz, Bernard Kazmer, David Keene, George Kellar, Bob Kelley, Joseph Kelly, ‘Rj’ Kennedy, Charles Kennedy, Steve Kerner, Ken Kerner, Stanley Kessinger, James Kidd, Ronald Kim, Danny Kircher, Theodore Kirshner, Sidney Klehn, Hank Klem, Erik Knapp, Ronald Knight, Steve Knoles, Bradley Koehler, Mike Kofnovec, Robert Kopecky, Frank Kornbau, Joe Kort, Barney Koscheski, Ted Kovacs, Martin Kramer, Ned Krego, Walt Kremkow, Alan Kremkow, Raelynn Kricher, Ted Krider, Glenn Krudis, Todd Krumrei, William H. Krygoski, Jacob Kryszan, Dan Kuemmel, Edward Kulzer, Pete Kurt, Peter Kurtz, Lynn L’Heureux, David La Motte, Richard Lafferty, Quinton Lagrasta, Richard Lamplugh, John Landrum, Peggy Lane, Aldabert Lanfranco, Brad Lang, Charles “Woody”
Lang, Robert Lankes, Paul Larbarbera, Gerard Largrotta, Ned Larsen, Alvin D. LaRue, Brock Lathrop, Bruce Lay, George Laymon, Robert K. Lebouvier, William Ledbetter, Ronald E. Ledbetter, Shaun Lee, James C. Lee, Tom Leggio, Robert Lemieux, Jerry Lemmons, Eric Lemmons, Wyatt Lemos, John Lems, Paul Lenon, Parrish Lentini, James Lentini, Jim Leon, Steven Leonard, Scott Levario, Jaime Levine, Richard M. Lewandowski, Victor Lincoln, John Lindgreen, Erik Lineberry, Gary Lionetti, Fred Listing, Hal Littleton, Edward Littleton, Michael Litton, Mary Lofdahl, James Lombardi, Pat Londono, Julio Loney, James Long, Breezy Long, Eddie Lopez, August Lopez, Jennifer Lopez, Martin Lopez, Moises Lopez, Victor Lowrance, Michael A. Lucero, Maneul G. Lucid, William Ludwig, Scott E. Lugo, Charles Lukas, John Lukes, John Luna, Kenny Luna, Rodney Luna, William Lund, Lawrence Lusian, Dave Macaya, Dominic MacCulloch, David MacEwan, Robert Mack, John MacKenzie, Gordon MacLachlan, John MacMillan, Kimball MacMurdo, Jeffrey Mahon, Judith M. Maier, Wayne Maitland, Scott Mallary, Aaron Malone, Regis Mangers, James Manzer, Darryl Marachino, Lou Marania, Timoteo Marazzito, Joseph Marazzito, Joseph Dale Marcial, Frank Marder, Jerome Marks, Kenneth Marquart, Allen Marquez, Aurora Marquez, Benjamin Marshall, Bruce E. Marshall, Jennifer Marsolek, Norbert Martin, George Martin, James Martin, John R. Martin, Tommy Martinez, Enrique Martinez, Oscar Martuscello, David Martuscello, Bryan Masumoto, Alan
Maxwell, Mike Maycott, George Mayer, John Mayo, Daniel Mc Kenzie, Darryl McAdams, Gary McBride, William McCalla, Zachary McCallon, Gregory McCarthy, James McChesney, Gordon McClure, Richard McDonald, Hugh McElhone, Rodney McGrady, Mike McGuire, Jim McJunkin, Pete McKeeth, Karl McKenzie, Darryl McLean, Dale McMeekin, Bob McMullen, Jay McMullen, Thomas McNab, Michael Meagher, Michael Medrano, Ricardo H. Mehmen, Rodger Meisenheimer, Thomas Mekelburg, Scott Melin, Roy Mendoza, David Merwin, Tim Messerschmidt, Alvin Metcalf, Marvin Michaud, Harold R. Miglin, J. Miguel, Anthony Milek, John Miles, Richard Miller, Danny Miller, Gerald J. Miller, Henry Miller, Jake Miller, Kenneth Miller, Leonard Miller, Robert Millhench, Bruce Milligan, Gary Mills, Jeffrey Miranda, Bill Miranda, Robert Mitchell, Charles Mitchell, Clement Mock, Eugene Moffat, John Moir, Robert Mollet, Jean Monnier, Jason Monroe, Victor B. Moomjean, Paul Mooney, Robert F. Moore, Earle Mora, Alex Morales, Leonard Morgan, Marcus Morgan, Max Morgan, Richard Morris, Chuck Morris, David Morrison, Jean Morrison, Michael Morrow, David Moylan, Charles Mull, Douglas Mullinix, Rodger Mullins, John Murillo, Lorenzo Murphy, Gil Murray, Gary Myers, Richard Nakama, Paul Narvell, David Neill, David Nelson, Danny Nelson, Jeff Neri, Salvatore Newland, Jakob Nickel, Thomas Nobile, Dennis Noriega, Humbert Norman, Dave Norton, Frank Null, David Null, Gary A Nungesser, Abe Nutter, Gregory
O’Connell, Charles J.
O’Connell, Larry
O’Hagan, Patrick
O’Leary, Charles
O’Rourke, Lionel
Obarski, Russell E.
Odekerken, Alexander Odell, Jack
Ogle, Travis
Oerum, Joseph M.
Olivero, Phil Olsen, Ted
Orefice, Attilio
Orman, Arthur Orser, Denis
Orteg, Leonard Osugi, Roy
Otero, Rudy
Pacleb, Andrew Pajarillo, Xanthe Palmieri, George Palomino, Joe Parrott, Dennis
Partridge, Margaret Pastora, Carmon
Path, Robert B. Patik, Joseph Patton, George B. Pavini, Rudolph Payne, Isaac Paz, Eloisa Pearson, Jeremy Pearson, Nicholas E. Pease, Ronald Penoyer, Robert Perez, Ronald Peters, John Petersen, Bruce Petersen, Karl Petersen, Kenneth Peterson, Jerry Peterson, Roger Petkunas, Dan Petzold, Douglas Peyton, Joseph Michael Pfeil, Thomas Pfister, Ben Phares, Ross Phillips, Randal M. Phillips, William Kc Philpott, Gary Pichardo, William Piedra, Fabian
Piedra, Raymond Pilarski, James Place, Daniel Plascencia, Jose Plizga, Albert Poldson, Dan Polinsky, Edwin Pollard, William Pope, Thomas C. Popejoy, Gary Popejoy, James Gary Porlier, Clay S. Potts, John Poulin, Ed Powanda, Michael S. Powery, Chalmer
Precht, Aaron J. Precht, Peter J. Priestley, William Pryor, Ed Pulley, Robert Pulliam, Timothy Purdy, William Putnam, Lance Putnam, Ramses Putt, Kenneth Putz, Lawrence Quaintance, Lee Qualls, Robert Quezada, Dorian Quinn, James D. Quintero, Sergio Quiroz, Danny Raggio, Paul Raiche, Donald Ramirez, Christopher Ramirez, Maria Ramirez, Richard Ramirez, Robert Ramsey, Richard Rasmussen, Carl Rasmussen, Charlie Raub, Robert
Ray, Michael Rayburn, Sally Reade, Eric Reagan, Terence Real, Carl Reaves, Roger Rebman, Larry Reed, Charles “Chuck” Rehard, John Reibsamen, Pierce Reinhardt, Bob Reinitz, Gerald Renolds, Thomas D. Reyes, Gerardo Reyes, Larry Reyes, Rommel Reynolds, William J. Reynolds, William L Rhoden, George Rhodes, Ervin Rhodes, Ervin L. Rhodes, Gerald Rice, Billy Rice, Leonard Riggs, Doral Rimac, Don Rinker, Ken Rivas, Juan Robb, Randall Lee Roberts, George C. Roberts, Steve Robertson, Robert Robertson, Tom Robinson, James Robinson, Michael Robinson, Thomas Robles, Ray Rodgers, George Rodgers, Michael Rodriguez, Albert Roelofs, Richard Rogers, Gordon Rogness, Gary Root, William Roque, Lawrence Rorick, Lew Rosas, Jeffrey Rose, Donald Rosen, Victor Ross, Edwin Rowe, Hansford Rubaloff, David Ruddell, Eugene Ruiz, Robert Rungreang, Chirankura Sanchez, Augustine Sanchez, Benjamin Sanchez, Fernando Sanders, Edward Santa Maria, Rick Saria, Ric Sartin, Kenneth Satterthwaite, Michael Saunders, Virgil Scaramella, Francis C. Schaustal, Leonard Schena, Carl Schlau, Donald Schleifer, Doron Schlund, Jerry Schmich, Carl R. Schmidt, Eugene Schmidt, Stephen Schmidt, Vernon
Schneider, Val Schramling, Lee Schrick, Durward ‘Woody’ Schultz, Raymond Schutz, Eugene Schwartz, Gerald Schwartz, Stanley Schwartz, Walter Scobie, Robert
Sega, John J.
Seidler, Robert Sellheim, Michael Selmon, Victor Selznick, Lew
Seung, George
Sexton-Espiriti, Joseph
Shane, Thomas Shanks, Ned Sheldon, Robert Shepard, Rick Sherayko, Peter Sherman, John Sherman, Wayne Shulman, Lee M. Sibis, Ed Siebuhr, Thomas Siecke, Robert Siegen, Mark Silver, Samuel Simpkins, Jack Simpson, Gary Sinclair, Jim Singerman, Ron Singmaster, James Sipes, William
Sitomer, Steven M. Skyler, Allen R. Slaughter, Donald Slavin, Kenneth Sluder, Max Smisko, Bill Smith, Doug Smith, Michael Smith, Raymond Smith, Rodney Smith, Sandra Smith, William Snavley, Jeffrey Snelling, Charles Snyder, Leonard Solomona, Aaron Song, Kenneth Soria, Miguel Sosa, Elvir Sowers, David Spaniel, William Spiller, Donald Spraker, James Sproul, Myron E. St Clair, Matthew Staack, Gerry Stahl, Robert Stanfield, Skip Staudt, Jan
Stawecki, John Stawecki, Matthew Stawecki, Peter Steinhart, Shane Stefko, Mary Stephens, Larry Stephenson, Carl Stern Sr., Dana
Steven, Geltz Stone, Barbara Stone, George J. Stone, James Strand, Ralph Strauss, Bryan Suarez, Pablo Sugasawara, Dennis Sullivan, Thomas B. Summers, Theodore Swailes, Gary Tallent, Robert Tanaka, Craig Tardif, Elmer Tate, Phillip Tatlock, Norman N. Taylor, Eugene Taylor, Galen Tazio, Armando John Teeman, Bridget Temple, Gregory Teran, Heriberto Tew, Dixon “Bud” Thaxton, Duane Therasse, Nelson Thieme, Kyle Thill, Richard Thomas, Emery Thomas, Eugene Thomas, Leland Thomas, Renard O. Thomas, Robert “Mike” Thompson, Artie Thompson, Van Thuerk, Ervin Thy, Harry Tindall, Dennis Tippet Jr., Bill Tippet, Bill Tippit, Chris Toledo, Phil Tolentino, Josette Tolentino, Marlon Tompkins, Ken Torrance, John Towns, Carthel Tresnak, Carl Tripp, Gordon Tran, Liem Trinkley, Francis Troesch, Thomas Michael Trudeau, Paul Tucci, Maurice Tucker, John Tucker, Tommy Turner, Dale Turner, Fred Turner, William Tyler, Larry Tyree, Paul Udoff, Martin Uhrig, Doña Uhrig, Steve Uhrik, Gene Valenzuela, Romer Vallin-Flores, Stone Van Den Berg, Eugene Van Voorhis, Ron Vance, Gregory Vangilson, Jyssica VanMeter, Jason Vanrooy, Frank Varner, Chris Varner, Lewis Veenstra, Boyd Venne, Tony Ventrice, Robert Verdasco, Roberto Vergon, Richard W. Villegas, Luis Vita, Joseph Vleet, Andrew Van Vogeley, Karl J. Volpe, Luigi Waggoner, Robert Wagner, Kenneth Wakelin, Jim Walker, Joseph Waller, Louis Walline, Rolland Walter, George Walton, Stanley Ward, Dennis Ward, William Ware, Ralph C. Warner, Samuel H. Watanabe, Tosh Watkins, Randy Webb, James Weber, Clyde Webster, Donald Wendlenner, Volker Wennerholm, Daniel Wenz, Patrick Werner, Otto Wescott, Daniel West, Robert Gary Whalley, Ronald White, Eric Whitehead, James Whitney, Terrence Widdison, Steve Wiewiora, Thomas Willett, Charles R. Williams, Andrew Williams, James Wilner, Barry Wilson, Don Wilson, Jarrett Wilson, Larry Winter, Randall Withers, Robert D. Witzel, Dennis Woerter, Carl Wolf, Donald Wood, David S. Wood, Patricia (Boone) Woodings, Mike Woods, Dave Woods, Francis “Hank” Woods, Gary Woods, Scott L. Woolner, Robert Wright, Christopher Wtizel, Dennis Wuerl, Doug Yadlosky, Paul R. Yamamoto, Howard Ysais, Richard T. Zaharris, Gerald E Zasueta, Ernesto Zayon, Herman Zazueta, William Zennie, Donald J. Zoeteway, Charles Zucker, David
Timothy Stratton
U.S. Marine Corps – Gulf War, Iraq Veteran – Castaic Resident
MSgt. Timothy Stratton grew up in the days when kids used to be out all day in the summer and not come home until it was dinner time.
“My parents would drop myself and my two younger cousins off for a week in the mountains and then come back and pick us up,” Stratton said. He was 12.
Maybe it was his love of adventure that led him to the Marines. Maybe it was the freedom.
Brush, Colorado
Stratton was born Feb. 13, 1963, to Gertrude Louis and Lawrence Leland Stratton Jr. in a small town on the northeastern Colorado plains.
His father was a truck driver and retired U.S. Navy. His mother was a school cook.
He was the baby of the family — his brother, Randy, was seven years older, and he was 11 years younger than his sister, Deborah.
“We did a lot of stuff together as a family growing up,” Stratton said. “We’d go camping, to the lake, fishing, backpacking.”
He and his best friend, Arthur, would explore, go to the creek, play “Cowboys and Indians,” and mess around — just “being boys, I guess.”
In high school, he and Arthur took three years of auto mechanics and, he said, it was a blast. They’d go out into town and tow people’s cars into the shop to work on them.
“A fuel line was frozen on a car that was only like two blocks away,” Stratton said. “So instead of towing it in, I get a squirt bottle of gas, and I’m under the hood squirting it into the carburetor, Arthur was driving leaning out the window and we drove it back to school. We had a lot of fun.”
Stratton knew from an early age that he wanted to join the Marine Corps. At 17, he enlisted as a contract mechanic.
“The school got the Leatherneck magazine and nobody read it but me, so when it came in the librarian would just stand at the door and hand it to me while I went down the hallway,” he said.
He graduated high school in 1981, and two weeks later, he left for boot camp in San Diego.
Boot Camp
Stratton barely met the height requirements, but they had him do special testing in boot camp for intelligence or the presidential support unit. Yet he still wanted to be a mechanic.
“My instructors were mad at me,” he said. “And I paid — I did lots of push-ups.”
After graduating, he went to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina for five months of training, then came back to California, but this time to Camp Pendleton and the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, an infantry battalion. Stratton deployed to Okinawa and spent time training in the Philippines and Korea.
“Being on the older ships was an experience,” he said. “You get in on the rack either on your stomach or your back because you couldn’t roll over or you’d hit the guy above you.”
After his second Okinawa deployment, he was transferred to the 1st Force Service Support Group, an engine rebuild shop. “The camaraderie wasn’t quite as close as my previous unit, but it was more fun work,” he said.
He was only there six months before his enlistment ended and he was honorably discharged on June 14, 1985, as an E-4 corporal. Marine Corps Reserves
Not even a year later, Stratton missed the Marines, so he enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves.
“It was totally different,” he said. “We’d have a weekend each month to do a month’s worth of work, so we were always busy.”
For one weekend a month and two weeks during the summer, Stratton would work almost nonstop. Meanwhile, he started working for the city of Los Angeles doing mechanical work, first for the Fire Department and then at the L.A. Convention Center. Deployed again
In December 1990, Stratton’s unit was activated for the Persian Gulf War and he was again sent to Okinawa.
“We got to do jungle insertions where you’re hanging on a rope from a helicopter and they pick you up and drop you down,” Stratton said.
When he returned after nine months, he continued work at the convention center.
In 2000, Stratton moved to Castaic with his wife, Catherine, daughters Nicole, 15, and Michelle, 13; and son, David, 6.
Stratton was again activated in 2003 for Operation Iraqi Freedom and was deployed in April. It took 26 C-5 planes to land the Marines in Iraq.
“We became a priority to get over there with our armored vehicles,” Stratton said. “When we got there we had to play catch-up — they had already started the war before we got there.”
“Everything was just totally different,” he said. “You had to worry about getting shot at.”
At 40, Stratton called himself the “old man” of the unit. He was overseeing 60 drivers, mechanics and engineers.
Stratton’s unit helped set up police forces and border crossings, repaired schools and assisted in getting electricity and water pumping stations running — all while running twice-weekly resupply convoys.
“At first, they were just super glad that we were there,” he said. “They were just hard-working people out in the middle of nowhere, and all they were trying to do was survive and make a life for their family. They didn’t care what else was going on around the country.”
He met an Iraqi family in Babylon that had been saving for three years and had $13.
“The little boy was always in our formations,” Stratton said. “If we had fruit, the kids had fruit. We had toys shipped over to them — the little girl got her first doll, he got his first truck.”
Being a reservist, his unit was the end of the line for the Marine Corps, so they’d get what was left of supplies.
“I could tell my trucks coming miles down the road,” Stratton said. “A lot of them were reconditioned from Vietnam and we didn’t have parts for some of them.”
An accident during one of the convoys caused one of Stratton’s trucks to veer off the road and roll, throwing two soldiers from the vehicle.
“I was in the head shed when the call came in on the radio,” Stratton said. “They said an LAV, which is an armored vehicle, had rolled and they were doing CPR on the driver. Then they changed it to LVS, which was my truck, so then I knew exactly who the driver was.”
Stratton (center) with his unit honoring a fallen solider during his 2003 tour.
After four years of active duty, 19 years in the reserves, three deployments to Okinawa and one to Iraq, Stratton finally completed his time with the Marines on Jan. 1, 2005.
His commendations included the Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal Ribbon, Combat Action Ribbon and Navy Presidential Unit Citation.
Cpl. Douglas Morenco Reyes, 22, died, and Stratton “felt responsible because I had switched drivers that day and had put him on that vehicle.”
Reyes had two kids and a wife.
“We made sure his kids were taken care of for years,” Stratton said. “I still think about him a lot.”
The other soldier in the accident survived, and it “bothered him the whole time.” About a year ago, he committed suicide.
“That was rough,” Stratton said.
Stratton was in Iraq for only six months, but it took him awhile to get back to normal when he returned home.
“I didn’t think I was that bad, but the guys at work were telling me it took me four years to readjust,” he said. “I didn’t think it was like that.”
Young Marines
In 2006, Stratton and his wife, Catherine, helped a friend form the Santa Clarita Valley chapter of the Young Marines, a national organization that helps boys and girls ages 8-18 develop mental, moral and physical disciplines.
He began as the executive officer, and his son, David, was one of the 11 who were part of the first boot camp class in 2007.
“There were only the three of us to start off with, so we did it all,” Stratton said. “But Cathy and I were everything at one point. We didn’t have a training officer, didn’t have a supply officer, didn’t have an executive officer.”
In 2007, he took over as commanding officer, and continued in that role for almost 12 years — until last year. He is still the commanding officer with the local battalion.
“We spend hours and hours every week working on things for the program,” Stratton said, adding he does it all for the kids. “Hopefully it’ll give them the discipline and the confidence they need to be productive citizens in life and keep them away from drugs.”
Stratton’s son followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the Marines, and is stationed at Camp Lejeune.
Stratton still enjoys the mountains, and owns property in some of the same Colorado mountains he enjoyed as a child. But now, it’s also where he takes the Young Marines camping.
“The one thing I always try to pass on is to take care of your guys,” Stratton said.
And his Young Marines? “Just try and take care of them, too.”
Dan Watson/The Signal
Retired U.S. Marine Master Sgt. Tim Stratton presides over the Santa Clarita Valley Young Marines promotion ceremony March 30, 2019 at the Castaic Sports Complex in Castaic.
Courtesy photos
(Left) Stratton (middle) parachutes out of a helicopter in 1991 during jungle insertion training in Okinawa during the Persian Gulf War. (Above) Stratton en route to Camp Dogwood, west of Baghdad in Iraq, in 2003 during his tour with the 1st Marine Division for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Stratton en route to Camp Dogwood, west of Baghdad in Iraq, in 2003 during his tour with the 1st Marine Division for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
We thank Veteran Randal G. Winter for his service in the U.S. Army 101st Airborne, 159th Aviation Battalion (Combat Support). Your commitment to our country is appreciated and, we recognize you as an exemplary business owner and friend.
-Randal G. Winter Team
Thank a Veteran 12th Annual Golf Event
First and foremost, to our Veterans, this was a day to honor your service to our country and to say a heartful “Thank You”
To our sponsors, who made this such a huge success, we couldn’t do this without you!
On this Veterans Day weekend, let’s not forget those that have served and have given the ultimate sacrifice. With heartfelt thanks for taking it upon themselves the duty of guarding our freedoms while sometimes sacrificing their own dreams so that we may enjoy the liberties of this great nation. Thank you for your service.
Grand Tournament Sponsor: Valencia Pipe Company
4 Star Flag Team: Hedman Partners LLP
3 Star Command: Club Pest Control, Allen Marquart, Gruber Family, Steven Wright, Waschak Family
2 Star Warrant Team: Helvig Family
1 Star Team: Hasler Family
Hole Sponsors: 146th Wing Alumni Assoc., Gil Ishizu, Terry and Ann Butler
Breakfast Sponsors: Starbucks, Matthews Family, Angel Duran
Lunch Sponsor: Jersey Mikes
On Course Treats: Lazy Dog Restaurant, Costco, Sam’s Club Beer Sponsors: Washak Family, Anheuser Busch
Challenge Coin Sponsor: Dave and Marianne Simon
Printing: donated by Nathan at Pip Printing
Veteran Sponsors: Sharon Jazina, David Martinez, Sal Guerrero, Reseda Post 308 American Legion
Special Thanks: to all our veterans that donated their checks to support other Veterans such as RAW Rebuilding America’s Warriors.
To the Laker Girls and Brock Milburn, our singer, for inspiring and memorable opening ceremonies.
To all our raffle sponsors and volunteers who made this day so wonderful, we send our great appreciation and heartfelt thanks!! To
