Rosiland Roberts and her husband, Vietnam veteran Clemie Roberts, first stayed at the Palo Alto Fisher House for five weeks while he underwent unexpected spinal surgery. Their experience shows how a hospital stay can change a family’s daily life and how lodging nearby can help a caregiver stay close. Fisher House Foundation’s profile of the Roberts family

Behind many veterans is a spouse, a parent, a son or daughter who drives to appointments, learns new routines, and keeps the household running. This Veterans Day, all of us at Corona Shoutouts want to thank them, too. We appreciate everything veterans have done for us, and we know that so much of that service is shared by the families who stand beside them.

A lifetime of service

Clemie Roberts’s story is one of decades of service. According to Fisher House Foundation, he was drafted into the Army, trained at Fort Ord, California, and Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, and served as a crew chief on surveillance aircraft with the 74th Reconnaissance Company in Vietnam, logging more than 700 combat flight hours. After two years in Vietnam, he served 14 more years in the Naval Air Reserve. When he left the military in 1984, he kept serving his community as a firefighter with the Ventura County Fire Department. He met and married Rosiland after he retired.

The work that happens between appointments

In a 2025 profile, Fisher House Foundation described another episode in April 2024. After Clemie’s condition worsened at home following an earlier hospital discharge, Rosiland found him unable to get out of bed. A home aide helped him into the car, and she drove him from Vallejo to Palo Alto for emergency care. The foundation reported that the couple had stayed at the Palo Alto Fisher House several times and enjoyed getting to know other families there. Read the Roberts family’s account

The family’s story shows how much of caregiving takes place between clinical visits. Someone may have to drive, arrange help at home, and find a place to sleep. Friends can often take on a piece of that work. Ask whether picking up groceries, taking care of a pet, or bringing a meal on a particular day would be useful.

What a nearby room made possible

For Clemie, the location of the house mattered most. “It was less than 100 yards away,” he told the foundation. “Rosiland could easily walk back and forth, and that peace of mind was everything.” Rosiland called the Fisher House “a lifesaver” and said the Palo Alto VA placed her there during his first stay so she could remain close during surgery and rehabilitation.

The house also gave the couple a community. Rosiland said that over meals, families shared their stories, supported one another, and exchanged advice. She learned from other guests about things she had never thought about before, such as a wheelchair ramp and a chair lift, which helped her prepare for life back home. Clemie said sharing stories with other veterans and their families was “incredibly healing.” He especially remembered meeting David Perez, a 104-year-old World War II veteran whose daughter was staying at the house. “Seeing him standing and walking gave me hope,” Clemie said. “If he could do it, so could I.”

Rosiland also drew strength from the other families she met. She heard from a mother caring for her son and from a family from Hawaii supporting a service member after a serious fall. “I thought, ‘Who am I to complain?’” she told the foundation. “All these families were experiencing such pain, yet we were all sharing our stories and supporting one another.” Clemie described the house as a place where military families can find relief from financial burdens while staying in a beautiful facility.

Volunteers made an impression, too. Rosiland told the foundation that companies who came to provide dinners for the families did it exceptionally well, and that it lifted Clemie’s spirits to know she was being cared for. Perhaps the most moving line in the profile is hers: “Today, he finally feels appreciated for his service.” That is exactly what we hope every veteran in our community feels.

How to find lodging near treatment

Fisher House provides lodging for qualifying families near military and VA medical facilities. Eligibility and room arrangements depend on the location, so contact the manager of the house near the treatment site to ask how it works. Donors can support the foundation with money, eligible airline miles, or hotel points. Fisher House lodging information and ways to give

The foundation’s ways-to-give page also lists options such as fundraising, memorial gifts in honor of a loved one, corporate and employee giving, and gifts of stock or other assets. A neighborhood or workplace group could pick one of those options and make it a shared Veterans Day project.

How to support families beyond the hospital stay

Semper Fi & America’s Fund provides immediate and long-term support to wounded, ill, and injured service members, veterans, and military families. For a friend or neighbor, a follow-up after discharge can be just as welcome as the first offer of help. Ask what has changed since they came home and whether there’s an errand you can take on this week. Support Semper Fi & America’s Fund

The fund’s donation page lists a mailing address in Oceanside, here in Southern California, and says the organization has earned an A+ rating from CharityWatch. It describes its support as lasting from the first days of recovery through every stage of life.

Small kindnesses that add up

Caregivers rarely ask for help, so it helps to be specific. “Can I bring dinner Thursday?” is easier to say yes to than “Let me know if you need anything.” You might offer to mow the lawn, pick up a prescription, sit with the veteran for an hour so the caregiver can rest, or simply send a card that says you are thinking of them.

To every veteran and every family member who has walked beside someone through a long recovery: thank you. Your strength inspires all of us here in Corona, and we appreciate everything you have done and continue to do. For more ideas, see our guide, How to Honor Veterans on Veterans Day and All Year Long. You can also explore our Veterans Day support guide.