Charles Whitehead (left) served in the US Army Reserves and graduated from the Defense Mapping School in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Whitehead suffered injuries from two car accidents, one leaving him paralyzed. “I'm still blessed to be here,” Whitehead said. “I was a map maker and an engineer at heart, and so I am here now and it brings me back. I've always been military.” Whitehead encourages veterans to find community amongst one another, especially women veterans. “The bottom line is keep your head up, refuse to lose and share your love with everybody around,” he said.
Daniel Palacios (right) has been involved with the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) for approximately forty years after becoming paralyzed in a motorcycle accident when he was in active duty. With an engineering background, Palacios worked to develop Hawk missiles in the 1980’s. Today, he expresses his gratitude for PVA for their financial support and the community they provide. “Stay positive in a negative world. Absolutely give thanks,” he said. “We're very blessed as part of the VA, we've got the best doctors, we've got the best staff taking care of us. It's about giving back and just giving thanks.”
Overview: The Veterans Affairs Loma Linda Healthcare System held a celebration for veterans and their caretakers in honor of Veterans Day. The event featured a formal ceremony where hospital administrators and veterans addressed the crowd and celebrated their service. Black Voice News captured the celebration and spoke with and photographed some of the veterans in attendance.
Aryana Noroozi
In honor of Veterans Day, the Veterans Affairs Loma Linda Healthcare System held a celebration for veterans and their caretakers. The event featured a formal ceremony where various hospital administrators and veterans addressed the crowd and celebrated their service. Black Voice News captured the celebration, spoke with and photographed some of the veterans in attendance.
Attendees, including veterans, their caretakers and hospital staff, gather for the Veterans Day celebration at the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital on November 6, 2024. In honor of Veterans Day, the Veterans Affairs Loma Linda Healthcare System held this event to celebrate veterans and their caretakers. (Aryana Noroozi for Black Voice News/ CatchLight Local)Karandeep Sraon, Medical Center Director at Veterans Affairs Loma Linda Healthcare System, expresses gratitude for veterans and hospital staff as he addresses the audience during the Veterans Day celebration at the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital on November 6, 2024. (Aryana Noroozi for Black Voice News/ CatchLight Local)An American flag stands at the Veterans Day celebration at the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital on November 6, 2024. (Aryana Noroozi for Black Voice News/ CatchLight Local)Joy Hampton poses for a portrait at the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital at a Veterans Day celebration on November 6, 2024. Hampton, a Vietnam Navy veteran, described serving as a nurse in Hanoi as a “trying time” but returning home was worse. “I was in full uniform, only to be spit at, had things thrown at me and called names,” she said, recalling arriving in Los Angeles as she returned home from the war. “I was pushed down. I couldn’t believe it.” Today, Hampton works with other Vietnam veterans, many of whom are homeless and suffer from addiction. “One of the things I learned very early on is don’t ever give up and don’t ever turn your back. These men need you; these women need you,” Hampton said. (Aryana Noroozi for Black Voice News/ CatchLight Local)Eric Finch, a Navy veteran, sings the national anthem at the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital at a Veterans Day celebration on November 6, 2024. (Aryana Noroozi for Black Voice News/ CatchLight Local)
Paul Rinnander, Chief of Respiratory Care at Loma Linda University poses for a portrait at a Veterans Day celebration held at the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital on November 6, 2024. Rinnander served fifteen years in the Marine Corps as a jet engine mechanic, a recruiter and a drill instructor. Today working at the VA hospital, Rinnander feels camaraderie among the staff, many of whom are veterans, and patients. If he could share a message about veterans it would be to remember and honor Vietnam veterans. “The treatment they got when they got home from battle was not the same as us younger veterans get,” Rinnander said. “So remember those guys as they’re getting older.” (Aryana Noroozi for Black Voice News/ CatchLight Local)
Black Voice News photojournalist Aryana Noroozi was born in San Diego, California and graduated with a master’s degree from The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Her love for visual storytelling led her to document immigrant and deportee communities and those struggling with addiction. She was a 2020 Pulitzer Center Crisis Reporting Fellow and a GroundTruth Project Migration Fellow. She is currently a CatchLight/Report for America corps member employed by Black Voice News. You can learn more about her at aryananoroozi.com. You can email her at aryana@blackvoicenews.com.
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