Military & Veterans

Military personnel and veterans are reaping the fruits of some teens' labor to provide them with survival bracelets and letters of support.

Capistrano Valley High School senior Alaina Klaes and classmate Han Nguyen were looking for pandemic-safe volunteer opportunities for the school's National Honor Society, so Alaina contacted Mission Viejo Library staff to see how the group could give back. 

Make the holidays brighter for some families of our City's adopted Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division through the annual Adopt-A-Marine program.

The City will host a special Virtual Veterans Day Ceremony this year to maintain social distancing while commemorating the national holiday.  The ceremony will begin airing at 8:30 am on November 11 (and will air continuously throughout the day) on MVTV - Cox Channel 30 and AT&T Channel 99. You can also see the program on the City's YouTube channel.

On Saturday, November 14 from 9-11am in the Norman P. Murray Center Parking Lot, the Mission Viejo Marines and Sailors Adoption Committee is hosting a drive-through donation collection. The process is simple, just put your donations in your trunk, drive up, pop the trunk, and we will collect them! Social distancing guidelines will be followed at all times. Please remain in your car while we collect your donations. 

Download the flyer to see what donations are needed!

The Mission Viejo Marines and Sailors Adoption Committee will host a drive-through donation collection event benefiting members of the Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division on Saturday, November 14.

The donation drive is from 9 to 11 am in the parking lot at the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center.

The committee is collecting items for care packages to send to soldiers overseas and baby supplies to fill baskets for the newest members of the battalion, which is based at Camp Pendleton.

Gayle Wood, chairperson of the Mission Viejo Marines and Sailors Adoption Committee, has been named Volunteer of the Year by Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

Base officials selected Gayle for her outstanding efforts in going above and beyond to support the men and women of the City’s adopted Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division and other battalions. Gayle has served on the committee for a decade and has led its efforts for the last five years.

Great news, there are even more ways to help support the City’s adopted Headquarters Battalion of the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton.  Now, our Marines can benefit every time you shop at Ralphs or Amazon.

Here’s how the program works:

Join the City of Mission Viejo to honor the service and sacrifice of our service men and women during a special Virtual Memorial Day ceremony on Monday, May 25.

The Virtual Memorial Day Ceremony will air at 8:30 am on MVTV (Cox Channel 30 and AT&T Channel 99) with additional programming throughout the day. The program will also be featured on the City’s YouTube channel. 

In honor of the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, the City is hosting a Drive-Through American Heroes Tribute to maintain social distancing through May 28 in the Mission Viejo Civic Center courtyard.  The City of Mission Viejo is the only Orange County city to host a drive-through tribute. 

The 3-foot by 9-foot banners pay homage to American soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Local heroes are memorialized with a banner.

To honor the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms, the City is seeking photos of fallen soldiers for our Virtual Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 25.

During the ceremony, the photographs of our fallen heroes will be displayed. Complete our submission form and submit your photos of family members who died while serving our country by Wednesday, May 20.