Serving and Connecting With Local Veterans
Story and photos by Jo Ann Kirby
Veterans who come home from deployment can struggle with readjustment to civilian life, but one Stockton family is passionate about offering them a welcoming place where they can enjoy friendship and food.
The Rajkovich family has made it their mission to connect with local military veterans who have bravely served their country. One way they do so is by hosting a veteran’s fellowship every other month at their expansive party barn on their ranch in east Stockton. The most recent dinner was hosted in September as ripe pumpkins were being harvested in the fields surrounding the party. Dave Rajkovich explained the why of how these dinners came about. “It’s our way of serving our country,” he said, reluctant to take any credit for the hospitality that was clearly appreciated.
Inspiration for the Rajkovich’s mission to help veterans can be seen in the faces of those who’ve come to dinner and in the pictures on their Wall of Fame, which features the photos of their family members who have served and pictures of friends in uniform. The Rajkovich family was inspired to get involved in the veteran community by their close friend Jose Jauregui, who was deployed with the Army in Ramadi, Iraq, when his unit was hit by mortar fire in 2005. Jose, whose father had worked for Rajkovich’s dad for many years, grew up on the ranch and is considered family. He suffered burns on much of his body and has had many reconstructive surgeries throughout the years. At September’s dinner, he and his wife enjoyed the sunset and connected with new and old friends they’ve made at the dinners. “I’m one of the old-timers here,” Jauregui said. “It’s always nice to hang out with like-minded people who have had similar experiences. We share our stories and learn a lot from each other. Dave and his family do so much for the veteran community. They literally would do anything to help, and they have.” Today, the Iraqi war veteran is thriving and operating his own farm.
Military men and women from the branches of the U.S. military can come home from deployment with visible and invisible scars. Those who attend the Rajkovich family’s fellowship dinners say it gives them a safe place to socialize with peers, friends and family in a low-pressure environment. At September’s event, a feast of spaghetti with sauce, salad and garlic bread offered family-friendly fare to those gathered. Veterans sipped on sodas or beer and took part in some fishing on the lake by the barn or dabbled in archery while their children joined them or dashed off for a game of hide and seek.
Dave and Karen Rajkovich first organized a fundraising dinner for Jose Jauregui in 2006 and then began hosting an annual Welcome Home Heroes Barbecue that even featured helicopter rides at one point. The gathering drew as many as 200 people and became almost too big. Today, the family hosts this more low-key gathering that veterans, who might be struggling in isolation, can feel more comfortable attending.
Among those at September’s dinner were leaders in the veterans’ community who can offer resources. Stanley Rapada, the director of University of the Pacific’s Military and Veteran Student Center, was on hand to share exciting news about the help veterans can receive should they consider attending college.
Randall Reyes, of Rivers of Recovery, has been taking part in the dinners for years. “This is a safe place that we’ve nicknamed the Green Zone,” he said. “It’s low key, they are encouraged to bring their spouses or their girlfriend or boyfriends, their kids, because it’s a family effort to help veterans readjust.” Rivers of Recovery provides rehabilitation to physically and psychologically injured U.S. combat veterans using innovative, outdoor-based therapies and pioneering research. Reyes organizes fishing trips and says connecting with nature can help mend minds.
Two Gold Star fathers, who each lost their sons in battle, help out, sometimes by providing the meal, pitching in for cleanup duty or just lending a listening ear to those who want to share their own stories. Greg Coumas’ only child, his son, Army Spc. Kyle Coumas, died fighting in Afghanistan. Mike Anderson’s namesake, Cpl. Michael Anderson Jr., was a Marine who perished in the Battle of Fallujah during the Iraq war. They both find it therapeutic to talk about their sons’ ultimate sacrifice and to mentor veterans they consider as family. “We just want to help, however we can,” Mike Anderson, who left private enterprise for a career advocating for veterans, said. “We’ve been accepted by this brotherhood and sisterhood. I lost my son but gain so many more that I’m proud to help.”
After a social hour or two, Dave kicked off dinner by introducing newcomers and announced upcoming activities of interest. “We have a deep-sea fishing trip coming up that a foundation has asked us to help recruit for and there is a deer hunting trip,” he said. In addition to farming, Dave is known as the president of the Stockton Maritime Museum, home of the USS Lucid. Karen Rajkovich, a nurse, said many returning veterans have a hard time socializing and she loves seeing them make connections. Ever the hostess, she checks in with her guests, offering a warm smile and a comforting hug. The party barn, made of reclaimed wood from barns, is a beautiful, welcoming space. In addition to the Wall of Fame, featuring photos from veterans of wars new and old, there are a gigantic American flag on another wall, a huge commercial kitchen and a stocked bar.
As they lined up to fill their plates, guests found themselves sharing a table with old and new friends, all friendly faces who didn’t expect anything of them except understanding.
