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Over the last 33 years, the San Benito County Council of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), in collaboration with Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9242, has honored 54 members of the armed services as Veterans of the Year.
This year, as part of the Nov. 11 Veterans Day ceremony in Hollister, U.S. Army veteran Ellen Herrera and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Ryan Grimes will join that esteemed company of men and women who have served their country with honor and distinction.
“It is important for us to select a veteran of the year,” said VFW Post Commander Bernie Ramirez, “so their deeds and service do not go unrecognized. These two have always been big supporters of everything that we do in the community.”
Herrera has served as the Post’s quartermaster, the chief financial officer responsible for the post’s funds and property, for the last eight years. She grew up in a military family—her brothers, Richard, Michael, and Steven, all served in the Army—and spent four years in the Navy ROTC program in high school.
Upon graduation, she considered joining the service, in part because she could not afford to attend college. The choice of branches, switching from the Navy to the Army, was not quite her idea.
“One of my brothers was a recruiter,” Herrera said. “He needed one more female to meet his enlistment quota for that month, and I was it. He talked me into it.”
Serving from 1985 to 2005, she specialized in finance and accounting, and also taught the subject at Army schools in 14 states.
“It was fun and frustrating,” Herrera said. “We used to joke that it’s difficult explaining to a private why his pay is what it is without using apples and oranges.”
After 20 years, she said, she was offered a promotion to an E-8 pay grade, which would require her to be stationed in Iraq. Instead, she chose retirement because of ongoing medical issues.
“I kept getting injured,” Herrera said. “I decided my body’s had enough. This job is not for the old; it’s for the young. And then the first thing I did after was go to work for a veteran service office.”
She took a nine-year break from service-related work after taking a job at Blossom Hill Winery. She ached to return to working with veterans, “people like me who get each other just by looking at each other.”
Herrera has managed the Hollister Veterans Hall and, in addition to serving as the post quarterman, is the executive director of the Gilroy Veterans Memorial Building.
“To me,” she said, “it’s in the tradition of selfless service. That’s what it’s all about: making sure when soldiers take the uniform off, they’re given support, guidance and the resources necessary to take care of themselves and their family.”
Ryan Grimes served in the Marine Corps from 2002 until 2008, rising to the rank of corporal. He said that he had known he would join the service from an early age, having come from a military family: his father, Gary Grimes, served in Vietnam, and his grandfather, George Grimes, fought at Iwo Jima in World War II.
“I think that subconsciously made an impact on me,” Grimes said. “It was always something that was there, and by the time I became old enough, I just made that final decision to go ahead and join.”
Grimes served as a logistics and embarkation specialist, planning and coordinating the loading and unloading of troops, cargo and vehicles onto boats and aircraft at flight lines. He found himself stationed everywhere from Fort Lejeune in South Carolina and Blount Island in Florida to overseas posts like South Korea, Kuwait and Iraq.
“I think everyone who has served in the Marine Corps can all agree it’s a love-hate relationship,” he said. “You love it just as much as you hate it. But it’s an experience that I wouldn’t change for the world.”
He said he currently serves at the post as the adjutant, the benefits advisor and “the temporary bar manager at the moment.” He introduced the “Wreaths across America” program at the IOOF Cemetery, where more than 600 veterans are buried, and has been designing a new website for the post to keep veterans better informed.
“I’ve had the opportunity to connect more with the community, which has given us the ability to bring in things to further support the veterans, both inside and outside of our organization,” he said. “Because that’s what we’re here for.”
Grimes said his response to being named one of the Veterans of the Year was hard to put into words, because it left him wondering why he had been the one to receive the honor. He said his wife, Susan, helped him put things into perspective by allowing him to recognize what he had accomplished for the veteran community.
“Veterans Day is an emotionally charged day for me,” he said, “and it’s all in that connection with other veterans, even with veterans I don’t know. There’s an overwhelming sense of pride that comes with this honor.”
The Veterans Day event in downtown Hollister starts at 11 a.m. with a special veterans’ appreciation ceremony at the Veterans Memorial Building. A barbecue lunch follows at noon ($20 per person; all veterans eat free). The parade begins on San Benito Street at 1:30 p.m.
LULAC Veteran of the Year Award Recipients
1994 – John Z. Hernandez (Post Everlasting) 1995 – Louta Pinuela (Post Everlasting)
1996 – Manuel Chavez
1997 – Robert Picha
1999 – Bob Bouchard (Post Everlasting)
2000 – Raymond “Dede” Valles (Post Everlasting)
2001 – Greg Thul (Post Everlasting); Rick Solano, Robert Martin Del Campo
2002 – Cal Turpin (Post Everlasting); Jim Caffiero; Vince Luna
2003 – Edward Quinonez
2004 – Elaine Reyna; Frank Lucchetti (Post Everlasting)
2005 – Ruben Lopez; Scott Brooks; John Alnas (Post Everlasting)
2006 – Rudy Rodriguez (Post Everlasting); Gordon Machado
2007 – Matt Caffiero; Refugio Chavez
2008 – Richard Herrera
2009 – James Perales (Post Everlasting)
2010 – Mike Pulido
2011 – Felipe Galvan, Jr.
2012 – Nazhat Parveen Sharma; Ron Sanchez
2013 – Hector Torres
2014 – Sonora Vasquez; Cesar Flores; Larry Brown
2015 – George Nava; Tommy Nava; David Nava; Nathan Vasquez
2016 – Bernie Ramirez; Sam Rivera
2017 – David Martinez (Post Everlasting); Joel Ortiz; Robert Caballero
2018 – Daniel Pagaran (Post Everlasting)
2018 – Memorial Mention – William McFarlance; Calvin Arthur Bremmer (Post Everlasting)
2019 – Jim Gibson; Ralph Marquez; Adam Mendolla
2020 – Wayne Norton
2021 – Maria Spandri; Joseph Liera
2022 – Gina Lopez; Robert DeLuna
2023 – Larry Brown; Bryan Morse
2024 – David Lopez; Robert D. Lopez, Jr.
2025 – Ellen Herrera; Ryan Grimes
(“Post Everlasting” indicates a veteran honored after their death.)
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