Cadets representing various branches of the military and law enforcement salute the raising of the American Flag during Veterans Day ceremonies in downtown Hayward. Several social networking sites were launched this year catering to younger, more tech savvy military personnel.Photos by Tyler Sipe

By Tyler Sipe  – 

Many soldiers returning from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan are increasingly connecting with fellow veterans using the Internet, as evidenced by the launch of social networking Web sites like www.CommunityofVeterans.org and www.myvetwork.org

The trend has caught the interest of local leaders representing veteran organizations, who believe the internet could become a method to recruit members, particularly younger, more tech savvy soldiers returning from current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Karina Saavedra, a post commander at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Fremont Post 1917, said recruiting Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans has been difficult.  She said many young soldiers have the impression of a cigarette-smoke filled veteran’s halls, with perceptions of VFW members being difficult to connect to on a personal level.

But she hopes the internet could be a valuable asset in dispelling those myths and attracting younger veterans to the organization.

“In the next couple of year’s I hope to improve our (internet) homepage (for VFW Post 1917),” said Saavedra, a 27-year-old Iraq War veteran.  “Right now I can’t even get my friends, or my former commrades to join.”

Saavedra said of the 179 members at the Fremont post, more than half served in the Vietnam War, 10 percent served in WWII and only about 2 percent of members served in the Iraq or Afghanistan Wars.

Nationally, Vietnam veterans made up about 33 percent of the estimated 23.6 million veterans last year, according to a statistical abstract provided by the US Census Bureau. WWII veterans comprise about 12 percent of the total.  While 21 percent, or about 5 million soldiers served in the Middle East from the beginning of the 1990 Gulf War to the current Iraq and Afghanistan War, according to the U.S. Census.

Organizations like the VFW and the American Legion have seen a steady decline in membership.  According to a story reported by the Associated Press, the VFW currently has about 1.6 million members nationally, down from its peak during the Persian Gulf War of about 2.2 million.  Similarly, the American Legion has 2.6 million members, a decline from its high of 3.1 million members.

As a result, the organizations are hoping the internet will help expand membership, and entice younger soldiers to join their organizations.

The VFW launched the community networking Web site www.myvetwork.org on Veteran’s Day.  The site is designed for all members of the armed services, in addition to their friends and family.

Another Web site, www.CommunityofVeterans.org, created by the Ad Council in coordination with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), was also launched this past Veteran’s Day. The social networking site caters to returning Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans.

US Army Staff Srgt. George Heath of San Francisco watched Tuesday’s Veteran’s Day parade meander through downtown Hayward.  The 28-year-old said he’s a member of VFW, but has only attended two meetings.

“The way things are going now, everything will be on the Internet,” said Heath, who recently relocated to the area from Colorado, and used the Internet to make friends who also served in the military. 

Hayward resident Chuck Taylor, a Vietnam War Veteran, watches Hayward's Veterans Day Parade from a downtown parking structure.

Larry Banks, a Vietnam veteran who served in the Navy, said he has become interested in military organizations in the past couple of years, after his son, Seth Banks, 25, enlisted in the National Guard.

“I think the Web is going to get people like me out of their shells,” Banks said.

Banks, a resident of Fremont, said the internet has been useful in helping him locate long-lost friends, simply by typing in their name using a search engine, and now corresponds with them using e-mail. 

Older veterans, like WWII Marine Maurice Stratton, 85, said the Internet is not for everyone.  The Port Angeles, Wash. resident said he sees a downside to the continuing trend toward the Web.

“I connect with people in person and younger generation’s don’t get that concept,” Stratton said. “I’d much rather talk to someone face-to-face than push buttons.”

Multimedia by Tyler Sipe

As Election Day draws near, local African-Americans describe the electric atmosphere during this year’s historic presidential election.

The ceremony commemorating the 140th anniversary of the Hayward Fault earthquake emphasized the urgency of learning from the magnitude 6.8 trembler in order to minimize devastation from future quakes. Calling for greater disaster preparedness, the ceremony blended history and science about the quake to jolt the public and officials into action.

The U.S. Geological Society calls the Hayward Fault a “tectonic time bomb” that is overdue for a major earthquake. Geologists estimate a 31 percent likelihood that the fault –which stretches from San Pablo Bay to south of Fremont near Milpitas–will produce a magnitude 6.7 or greater quake in the next 30 years. The 140th anniversary is particularly ominous, commemoration speakers said, because the fault’s earthquakes happen on average every 140 years.

Descendants of survivors of the 1868 Hayward Fault earthquake listen to Dolors Ferenz, Mission San Jose administrator, describe how the church crumbled in the quake.

At 7:55 AM on Tuesday, Mission San Jose’s ringing bells marked the moment in 1868 when the earth shook for forty seconds, leaving more than thirty people dead and significant property damage. Nearly every building in Hayward was wrecked or destroyed, according to the USGS.

“We commemorate a tremendous earth shaking moment,” said Andrew Galvan, curator at San Francisco’s Mission Dolores and a descendant of Native American survivors of the earthquake. “So we look forward: how do we prepare to avoid the type of disaster that occurred in 1868, basically the type of disaster that effects the lives of all peoples?”

Dolores Ferenz, Mission San Jose administrator, said records show the church’s roof caved in and adobe walls crumbled. Only a baptismal font and two statues survived the earthquake.

Suzette Kimball, associate director of the USGS, said the Hayward Fault is particularly prone to producing a damaging quake because of its historic seismic patterns and location in the heart of the Bay Area.

The region’s population density means the potential damage of a large earthquake is larger than the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report from last December. As the most urbanized fault in the U.S., more than 2.4 million people live and 1.5 million people work within striking distance of the fault.

“I don’t think people understand the Hayward fault because all the publicity goes to Loma Prieta and San Andreas,” said John Brennan, whose great-granduncle survived the 1868 quake. “They’re still building buildings on the fault line. What’s the deal with that? Why do they allow developers to build on a fault line?”

Geologist Betsy Mathieson, a commissioner on the State’s Seismic Safety Commission, stressed that building codes do not make structures “earthquake proof.” She said the code is intended to prevent buildings from collapsing and killing people, but that the building may still be rendered unusable after a quake.

Only structures like dams and nuclear power plants are designed to be truly “earthquake proof,” Mathieson said.

Representing State Senator Ellen Corbett, Jason Overman said the Senator recently introduced a bill that requires more stringent seismic standards for homes. He said the Senator will soon hold hearings to investigate why $200 million of Proposition 1D funding, earmarked to upgrade the seismic safety of schools, has not yet been spent.

While the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake is often called “The Big One,” Mathieson said the public has “no idea how strong the ground will shake” when an earthquake similar to the 1868 or 1906 quakes strikes. In particular, Mathieson said, the length of shaking will shock many. The 1906 San Francisco quake lasted for over a minute, while the 1989 Loma Prieta quake was just 15 second long, she said.

Fremont mayor Bob Wasserman, who was police chief during the 1989 quake, said the potential scope of damage means residents must be self-sufficient in disaster.

“You are not going to get a lot of help in those first couple of days,” said Wasserman.

He pointed to the fire department’s Community Emergency Response Team program, which trains community members to respond to disasters when services such as 911 are inundated with the most pressing needs.

Harold Brooks, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross’s Bay Area Chapter, said even a basic level of preparedness can help. He recommended that families make an disaster plan, prepare a kit of supplies, and stay informed.

The ceremony at Mission San Jose kicked off a series of events, organized by the USGS and the 1868 Hayward Earthquake Alliance. On Tuesday, 275,000 students and employees participated in an area-wide earthquake drill. Richard McCarthy, executive director the Seismic Safety Commission, said this drill, and a similar one involving 4 million people Southern California this Nov., will provide test cases for implementing a state-wide earthquake drill next year.

From Wednesday to Friday more than 200 scientists are convening at California State University East Bay to share recent earthquake research, with a free public forum on earthquake hazards and earthquake preparedness this Thursday at 7 PM in the New University Union building.

Towards the end of Tuesday’s ceremony, the Red Cross’ Brooks reflected on his recent response to Hurricane Ike, when advanced warning allowed him to travel to Louisiana and prepare before the hurricane touched ground.

“What a luxury to have the opportunity to get our ducks in a row,” he said. “Our time to get our ducks in a row is right now.