Celebrate Community and Familia with an inspirational program on Hispanic Heritage Day @ the USS Hornet.

We will have special displays, exhibitors, speakers, open cockpits and more to celebrate Hispanic-Americans in the armed forces throughout the history of the US as part of Hispanic Heritage Month.

We are inviting all guests to bring copies of photos of their relatives that have served in the military. We are going to post them all together on a large board for everyone to see!

Master of Ceremonies: Captain Mama (Graciela Tiscareño-Sato) https://www.captainmama.com/

Special Guest Speaker: LTC Marisol Chalas, Camp Parks CO. https://home.army.mil/parks/index.php/about/leadership/garrison-commander

Tickets: Admission Tickets (doubleknot.com)

Panelists (Topics: Experiences in the military as a Hispanic, advice you would give to someone thinking of joining, etc.):

1. Michael Lema – Marine Veteran 
2. Leo Madrid – Navy Veterans 
3. Lt. Flor Joseph – Coast Guard
4. LTC Marisol Chalas – Army

 Special Exhibitors (signed up so far-there are more in the process of confirming):  

1. Women’s Veteran Alliance – is the premier network focused on directly impacting the quality of life of women veterans… a community both online and offline including local women veteran networking groups, community events, and national conferences which provide opportunities to connect, grow, and thrive.
2. American Legion César E. Chávez Post 505 – is the nation’s largest wartime veterans service organization, committed to mentoring youth and sponsorship of wholesome programs in our communities, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting strong national security, and continued devotion to our fellow service members and veterans. Cesar E. Chavez Post 505 is committed to supporting all veterans, especially in the Latinx community, and to provide them with VA resources and other entitlements they’ve earned.
3. San Francisco Veterans Film Festival – is the Bay Area’s premier military and veteran film event - a free showcase of unique, independent films that explore the complexities of military service and the challenges of reintegrating into civilian life.
4. U.S. Air Force Recruiting – dedicated to inspire, engage and recruit the next generation of Airmen. AFRS recruits quality men and women from a cross-section of America, responsive to the ever-changing needs of the Air Force.
5. Vets in Tech – supports our current and returning veterans with reintegration services, and by connecting them to the national technology ecosystem. VIT is committed to bringing together a tech-specific network, resources, and programs for veterans interested in Education, Entrepreneurship, and Employment.
6. U.S. Navy Recruiting – leverages an inspirational culture to inform, attract, influence and hire the highest quality candidates from America’s diverse talent pool to allow America’s Navy to assure mission success and establish the foundation for Sailors to thrive in a life-changing experience.
7. P.E.A.C.E. Inc. (People Evolve as Consciousness Expands) – we expand the consciousness of all we encounter through innovative technology, art and science. P.E.A.C.E. is a team of San Francisco Bay Area consciousness researchers who are also artists and have developed a suite of proprietary computer hardware and software.
8. Team Red, White and Blue – (Team RWB) exists to guide veterans to prioritize their well-being first with real-life and virtual opportunities focused on building a healthier lifestyle because a strong focus on mental and physical health is critical to ensuring veterans’ best days are ahead.
9. Centro Community Partners – builds thriving communities by providing underserved, low-income entrepreneurs with entrepreneurship education, one-on-one business coaching, mentorship, and access to capital.
10. Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps at Cal – is one of the original six pioneering NROTC units founded throughout the country. The unit’s first commanding officer was then Captain Chester W. Nimitz. Since then, NROTC UC Berkeley has been training students in the disciplines of leadership, physical fitness, and military sciences.
11. US Army Recruiter – recruits America’s best and brightest volunteers that are able to deploy, fight, and win.
12. A Future for Veterans Foundation – veteran-owned-and-operated non-profit organization that focuses on the tenets of food, shelter, and water. We provide housing and supportive services to military veterans and their families, that promote autonomy, authenticity, and purpose for themselves and the communities into which our veterans reintegrate.
13. Rainge Spring Water – veteran-owned small business helps customers avoid the effects of mineral deficiency and dehydration through naturally-occurring spring water that contains 100 Mg/L of recoverable magnesium. We provide that little extra in the ordinary, through 5- and 3-gallon deliveries to your home and business.
14. Coast Guard Recruiting – The mission of the United States Coast Guard is to ensure our Nation’s maritime safety, security and stewardship.
15. Air Force Academy & Air Force ROTC – The mission is to develop leaders of character for the Air Force and Space Force.
16. Marine Corps Recruiting – The mission of Marine recruiting is to recruit quality young men and women to service their country as United States Marines and Marine officers and to perform other tasks as directed by the Commandant of the Marine Corps

Background of Hispanic History Month: Hispanic Heritage Month is an annual celebration of the history and culture of the U.S. Latinx and Hispanic communities. The event, which spans from September 15 to October 15, commemorates how those communities have influenced and contributed to American society at large. The term Hispanic or Latino (or the more recent term Latinx) refers to a person’s culture or origin—regardless of race. 

Bios of panelists: 

Captain Mama (Graciela Tiscareño-Sato) Daughter of Mexican immigrants, Graciela Tiscareño-Sato flew in the active-duty U.S. Air Force for over nine years as a navigator onboard KC-135 refueling tankers and became the first Hispanic female USAF aviator to earn an Air Medal for combat air operations. She graduated from U.C Berkeley where she attended as an Air Force ROTC scholarship cadet.  

Graciela is a bilingual keynote speaker and bestselling author of nonfiction literature and bilingual children’s books, the latter an aviation trilogy inspired by her decade of service. The Captain Mama series is the first-ever published in two languages featuring women and mothers serving in our armed forces. Graciela was honored by the White House as a Champion of Change for her contributions as a social entrepreneur and founder of independent publishing firm, Gracefully Global Group. The company’s mission is to publish award-winning literature that showcases the positive contributions of Latinx-Americans in the USA to change the narrative and create POSITIVE media images of her beloved comunidad. Full bio at CaptainMama.com. 

 LTC Marisol Chalas:  Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Marisol A. Chalas was born in Bani, Dominican Republic and moved to the United States with her family to Massachusetts at the age of nine. She began her military career as an enlisted Soldier in July 1990. In 2001 she was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Aviation branch from the Georgia Military Institute Officer Candidate School.
LTC Chalas has operations and strategic experience at the United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) and Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA) level. LTC Chalas’ international duties entail Battle Captain and Platoon Leader during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Aviation Liaison in the Dominican Republic under a Combined Joint Task Force. Other assignments include Lean Six Sigma advisor, Force Management and Exchange Officer serving with the Canadian Forces in Kingston, Ontario, Canada and two rotations as Company Commander.
Her military education includes Aviation Officer Basic Course, UH-60 Aviator Qualification Course, Aviation Captain’s Career Course; Intermediate Level Education (ILE), the Army Force Management Course, the Advance Operations Course (AOC) and the Strategic Fellows Program at The Institute of World Politics in Washington, DC. LTC Chalas received her Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Engineering from Massachusetts Maritime Academy, a Master of Business Administration from Georgia State University and a Master in Legislative Affairs from George Washington University. LTC Chalas is a certified Lean and Six Sigma Black Belt.
LTC Chalas has an extensive corporate career record with vast international experience. She worked for GE where she held a number of senior management roles. She worked in Asia, Latin America, and Europe. LTC Chalas is a graduate of GE’s Nuclear Technical Leadership Program. LTC Chalas also worked for Booz Allen Hamilton as a Process Improvement Consultant. 

 Leo Madrid:  Leo entered active military duty six weeks after his eighteenth birthday and attended bootcamp and Naval Engineering ‘A’ School at Great Lakes, Illinois. He was chosen 1 of 3 bootcamp recruit leaders and went on to become one of the youngest Honor Graduates of ‘A’ School ahead of dozens of other competing students. He deployed to the Persian Gulf shortly after reporting aboard the U.S.S. Knox, Fast Frigate-1052 in Yokosuka, Japan, and with special permission from the Commanding Officer was able to pursue and complete his Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist qualification on his first deployment. During the many deployments aboard two different ships, including Operation Desert Storm, he had been taking college courses whenever time allowed and while serving on shore duty at Naval Air Station Alameda, transferred to St. Mary’s College of California [Moraga] and earned a BA in Organizational Management. 

 After a 10 year Navy adventure, he landed his dream job at Micron Technology and afterwards a sales engineer for the telecommunications industry. He eventually left the corporate culture all together to follow another adventure but this time it was in the arts. A knee injury ended a short career as a professional ballroom dance instructor and eased his entry into the art business as a fine art sales consultant. His passion for excellence and appreciation for all things weird enabled his quick rise in the gallery world landing him a Director position in one of the largest galleries in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has now curated nearly 100 exhibits and placed hundreds of works of original art in private collections everywhere.  

 In 2007 while in the care of the SF VA, he experienced an unexpected traumatic brain injury during a medical procedure resulting in complete retrograde amnesia. After his memory began to return he became a consciousness researcher.

Michael Lema: Michael is a Hayward Native. Born in the city in 1996, he attended local schools, including Hayward High, found his friends, family, and community in the city, and coached soccer and baseball for over six seasons. Michael is a veteran. Serving in the United States Marine Corps for five years and advancing to the rank of Sergeant, he got to see firsthand what it meant to fight for his country.  

After being deployed in 2018 to the Middle East to support Operation Inherent Resolve, he is ready for a new challenge, using the freedoms he fought for to better his entire community. Now he is back in Hayward as a Journeyman Electrician, studying to become an Electrical Engineer, and take his next steps as a dedicated member of the Hayward Community. 

Lt. Flor Joseph

Lieutenant Joseph has served in the Coast Guard for over 14 years and is stationed at Pacific Area in Alameda, California. Her primary role is to serve as a Response Operations Planner for the Eastern Pacific.

Lieutenant Joseph’s previous assignments include USCGC Chase in San Diego, CA, from 2008 to 2009. From there, she transferred to Training Center Petaluma in northern California, where she served as Yeoman in the Servicing Personnel Office from 2009 to 2014. In 2014, she transferred to Sector San Diego in southern California, where she advanced to Petty Officer First Class. In 2016, she was selected to attend Officer Candidate School. Lieutenant Joseph received her commission on November 21, 2017. In March 2018, she transferred to Guam, where she served in many roles, including Command Duty Officer, and was in charge of the planning and executing Search and Rescue operations. In early 2020, she took an additional role as the Law Enforcement Officer and oversaw escorts for vessels transiting with Hazardous Materials.

Lieutenant Joseph holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and is working towards obtaining a Master’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting. Lieutenant Joseph is committed to getting involved in her community. While in Petaluma, CA, she became a volunteer at the local police station, doing night patrols with local law enforcement; while at Sector San Diego, she fostered a partnership with Monarch School. She launched a Lunch and Learn program that exposed the students to the Coast Guard and various other careers. Most notable are her efforts in teaching children healthy food habits and assisting them in learning to prepare healthy snacks. She currently volunteers at the National Center for Suicide Prevention.

Lieutenant Joseph’s awards include two Coast Guard Achievement Medals, Coast Unit Commendation Ribbon, Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation Ribbon, Coast Guard Commandant Letter of Commendation, National Defense Service Medal, Coast Guard Special Operations Service Ribbon, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, and three Coast Guard Good Conduct Medals.