While civic operations ceased Wednesday in observance of Veterans Day, Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) honored six Orange County residents for their service to the nation and in their local communities, naming them “2020 Veterans of the Year.”
“We owe a profound debt of gratitude to our veterans, to the men and women who’ve put their lives on the line to protect America and to protect our democracy,” Petrie-Norris said in a virtual ceremony on Wednesday. “Today, we are here to honor the men and women of our community who have chosen to serve our nation and to serve with purpose.”
Mayors from the six cities in Petrie-Norris’ 74th Assembly District congratulated the former servicemen and women — whose service spans from World War II, through Vietnam, to the present decade — in introductory remarks.
Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley recognized Carol Singleton, a former telecommunications operator in the U.S. Army Signal Corps from 1983 to 1986 who spent a year in Germany during the Cold War.