\n\t\t\t\tBest Sunshine International\u2019s CSR director Geri Dela Cruz and some of the CSR team members smile with active and former service members. (Contributed Photo)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nThere have been picnics in the past but the Nov. 11 BSI-led event was the largest\u2014if may also possibly be the first time in about five years\u2014that the veteran community was celebrated with the overflowing support of families, who spent Veterans Day honoring more than 500 past and present veterans.<\/p>\n
This was a gathering that allowed families to express appreciation to those who saw action and \u201cgave up their freedom so we could have ours.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Rita Chong, BSI\u2019s corporate social responsibility director, \u201cit was an opportunity for our community to meet and talk to our veterans and to let them know we are always there standing next to them, and for the younger generation to truly understand what these veterans went through and experienced while serving to protect the freedoms we enjoy today.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Veterans Day picnic was a plan that BSI\u2019s CSR team put together to continually show support and express appreciation.<\/p>\n
For the veterans themselves, it was a way to reconnect and reminisce about experiences that only they could understand. And the Veterans Day picnic hosted by Best Sunshine renewed that bond and camaraderie and promoted awareness among the younger generation of the important roles these men and women have played.<\/p>\n
\u201cI truly loved the picnic. You just don\u2019t understand how much we appreciate it all, not just the food and entertainment but spending time with everyone,\u201d said one Saipan-based veteran.<\/p>\n
Another veteran added, \u201cI really look forward to these functions. You don\u2019t get to see everyone too often.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chong agrees. \u201cIt was an opportunity for our families to meet and talk with veterans face to face.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although the number of attendees changes from year to year as some veterans are no longer with us or can\u2019t attend due to health conditions, the Nov. 11 picnic has revived the dwindling tradition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is just a different day for us. Thank you, Best Sunshine, for [reviving] this tradition. It is always enjoyable to get together with folks who have some common bond,\u201d added a veteran.<\/p>\n
The over 500 veterans and families were also met by lawyer Viola Alepuyo, who was formally introduced to the community as the new Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army.<\/p>\n
Alepuyo is the first woman to serve the high-profile position with a rank that is equivalent to a three-star general. (Best Sunshine)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The first-ever picnic hosted by Best Sunshine International, Ltd. for veterans at the Minachom Atdao…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":214982,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1707,1311,42,1337],"class_list":["post-214979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","tag-best-sunshine-international","tag-bsi","tag-food","tag-veterans-day"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=214979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214979\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/214982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=214979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=214979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=214979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}