Corona Army veteran George Mello received his Bronze Star at a ceremony in 2024, more than seven decades after his service in Korea. In nearby Riverside, Vietnam veteran Ronnie Guyer sat down with a high school student who was writing about his experience. Their stories offer two ways to mark Veterans Day locally: recognize someone’s service and give them time to describe it.

Before we go any further, we want to say something plainly. Everyone here at Corona Shoutouts, and so many of the neighbors we hear from every week, deeply appreciates everything veterans have done for us. The freedom to raise our families, coach our kids’ teams, and gather at a park on a Saturday morning was protected by people who raised their right hand and served. This story is a small way of saying thank you, and of making room to listen.

George Mello’s long wait for a medal

Mello told ABC7 that he enlisted in the Army at 17 and spent his first two years doing construction engineering work before being sent to Korea in 1950. He recalled fighting in five major battles. He also told the station that the paperwork for his Bronze Star had been lost. ABC7’s interview with George Mello

His memories of that time are vivid. “I got there five days after the Korean War broke out,” he told ABC7. He still remembered the sound of bugles at night, which he said were meant to frighten the troops. ABC7 reported that his bravery in combat earned him the Bronze Star and a trip home to spend his final year of enlistment stateside. Through all the years that followed, he never forgot about the medal he was owed.

Mello contacted Rep. Ken Calvert’s office, and in March 2024 Calvert pinned the medal on him at Valencia Terrace in Corona. His children and friends were there. “I was overwhelmed with all the publicity and the congressman and so forth,” Mello told the station. Calvert called him “a brave soldier who served for some time in that conflict and was finally given the recognition he deserved.” At 93, Mello told ABC7 he felt lucky to be alive after some close calls and that he had lived a fulfilling life.

For a family tracing its own military history, the story offers a concrete place to start a conversation: ask which records, photographs, or letters the veteran remembers, and what they want people to know about them. ABC7’s account of the ceremony

Mello’s story is also a reminder that it is never too late to say thank you. Seventy-one years passed between his service and his ceremony, and the people who gathered around him at Valencia Terrace made sure the moment counted. That is the kind of hometown pride we love to see in Corona.

Ronnie Guyer’s conversation with a Riverside student

In 2019, CBS News reported on a program at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside where veterans talked with students about their service. One student, Maya Moore, was writing about retired Army specialist Ronnie Guyer. He told her about carrying wounded and dead service members in Vietnam. Moore recalled being anxious about starting the conversation and said Guyer put her at ease. CBS News reporting from Martin Luther King High School

The program had a fitting champion. U.S. history teacher John Corona had brought veterans to the school every year for two decades, according to CBS News, and 300 veterans attended in 2019, the year he retired after 40 years of teaching. “When you sit down with somebody who lived it, it puts a whole new perspective on this for students,” he told CBS. Guyer, for his part, called the teacher “a guiding light” and “a hero.” Corona said veterans often told him they felt a whole lot better about the future of the country after talking with his students.

The format gave a student time to ask follow-up questions and a veteran control over what he was willing to share. A neighborhood group or family can make room for a similar exchange. Send the questions ahead if that would help, and ask about the person’s work and interests today as well as their time in uniform.

Where to start in Corona

The Corona Veterans Memorial is at City Hall. Its website explains how the city set aside space for a memorial honoring veterans from the Corona–Norco area. If you visit with a relative or neighbor, you can start with a simple question: “What do you wish people would ask about your service?” Give the person time to answer and let them decide whether the conversation stays between you. About the Corona Veterans Memorial

The memorial has a story of its own. According to its official website, the City Council designated a site at the new City Hall in October 2001, and the Corona Veterans Memorial Division, part of the Corona Partners for Parks and Recreation Foundation, raised funds for the project. The finished memorial is a five-sided monolith representing each branch of the military with its service medallion, surrounded by a water feature, flags, and trees. It also includes a kiosk with a database of local veterans. The memorial was dedicated on November 11, 2012, which makes this Veterans Day a fitting time to stop by.

That kiosk is a good reminder that the veterans in our community are not only names in a history book. They are the neighbors who wave from the driveway, the grandparents in the stands at a youth game, and the friends who show up early to help set up chairs at church. Many of them have stories they have never been asked to tell.

A simple way to say thank you

You do not need a ceremony to honor someone’s service. A cup of coffee, an unhurried conversation, or a handwritten note can mean a great deal. Ask a veteran you know what they are proud of, what they learned, or who they still think about from their time in uniform. Then listen, and thank them for everything they have done for all of us.

If you would like more ideas, our earlier guide, How to Honor Veterans on Veterans Day and All Year Long, gathers ways to listen, volunteer, and help. From all of us at Corona Shoutouts, thank you to every veteran in Corona, Norco, Eastvale, and Riverside. We are proud to call you neighbors, and we are grateful for you every day of the year. You can also explore our Veterans Day support guide.