Erik Chalhoub here, reminiscing on one of the first events I ever covered in my local journalism career. As a Veterans Day tradition, Aromas School would invite veterans from across the region for a live performance of patriotic songs by students of various grade levels. The veterans I talked to at the event were always grateful for the gesture and looked forward to attending every year.
Whether it’s by performing on stage, shuttling veterans to appointments, or eating dinner at an American Legion hall, there are countless ways everyone can show support to veterans. Adam Errahebi, management analyst with the County of Monterey’s Military and Veterans Affairs Office, encourages people interested in serving those who served to reach out to their local American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars posts to see how they can get involved throughout the year.
Tomorrow, Nov. 11, is Veterans Day, and the wealth of events in Monterey County make it easy to show support.
There’s the parade kicking off at noon at Salinas High School, a flag ceremony at American Legion Post 31 in Salinas at 7am, and an event at the Central Coast Veterans Cemetery in Seaside at 11am, among many others.
It’s not just tomorrow, either. On Thursday, Nov. 12, Hartnell College Veterans Resource Center hosts “Lunch and Paint with a Veteran” from 11am to 3pm, followed by a cafecito and pan dulce, a coffee and pastries event, from 8-11am on Friday, Nov. 13.
The City of Salinas hosts a rededication of the Bataan monument sign on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 1pm at the intersection of Monterey and East Market streets, which was repaired after being damaged.
Beyond the ceremonies, there’s work being done at the County of Monterey level behind the scenes to help support veterans’ day-to-day lives.
In late 2025, the Board of Supervisors broadened its veterans and military spouses hiring preference policy, including allocating preference points to spouses, and expanded its military leave policy to provide pay for those participating in “Inactive Military Service,” such as training for reserve service members.
Errahebi said the County of Monterey is working on being designated for the federal SkillBridge Internship Agency, which would allow active-duty service members to work for the County as a paid intern for six months.
“We want to keep talent here,” he said. “It will allow people to gain job experience and hopefully get hired while they are still on active duty and then they can transition out into our communities.”
But the notoriously high cost of living and lack of affordable housing in Monterey County makes that a challenge, Errahebi noted, so the county veterans office is constantly working on connecting veterans to the benefits they are owed while helping them secure employment.
“The County is trying to fill those gaps with these programs in place,” he said.
This Veterans Day is a good time to reflect on how any action, big or small, can help our veteran neighbors.