Ben Lomond resident Rick Moran, 74, served on a U.S. Navy “fast attack” submarine in the Gulf of Tonkin. No, not during the “Incident” that caused America to become more ensnared in combat in Vietnam and the surrounding region in the middle of last century, but rather a few years later, as the war raged on.
After he got out, he became commander of the so-called “Maverick” 5888 Veterans of Foreign Wars post.
“We were the post for peace,” said Moran, recalling his advocacy against U.S. military incursions in Central America in the 1980s.
But in the lead-up to Veterans Day this year, he set out on a different mission: creating a new sign for the Veterans Village site north of Felton along Highway 9.
Moran said he was happy local organizations had come together to convert the former Jaye’s Timberlane Resort cabins into places where homeless veterans could move in.
“I was glad to see there was some kind of attempt to deal with that issue,” said Moran, adding he thought the current Veterans Village banner by the entrance was insufficient. “It just didn’t look proper.”
He got out his sketch pad and started dreaming up what a more permanent sign could look like.
Luckily, he lives right across the street from Humble Sea Brewing co-founder Nick Pavlina, who just so happens to have a Computer Numerical Control machine that would be perfect for such a task.
“Nick, this could help me out a lot,” he remembered saying, thinking about some of the intricate woodwork that came out of the system. “I have a sign I’d like to do.”
Pavlina explained they worked together to develop a “nostalgic” wooden sign that embodies the spirit of San Lorenzo Valley—sturdy and sharp, but not too fancy.
“It kind of had a little bit of the State Park vibe to it,” Pavlina said of their concept. “It was Rick’s idea. Rick’s a veteran. I’m just a local guy that grew up in the area.”
Moran’s wife, Chris, said her husband got totally engrossed in the project.
“He’s a dedicated, caring person who’s a veteran who cares about other veterans. Because it’s his story too,” she said, adding he took the initiative really seriously. “I let him keep working. That’s his job. That’s what makes him happy.”
For his part, Moran can’t help but think about all the veterans he’s known—or known of—over the years.
“My grandfather, Richard Moran—the person I’m named after—he served on a submarine in the U.S. Navy during World War I. It was the R18,” he said. “I think of him often. He was on a submarine, and I ended up being on a submarine…It was a very difficult service to be in a submarine in those early days of submarines.”
And who could forget Thor Therp, a member of his VFW post? Therp was in the Danish army in World War I, then in the American Navy in WWII.
“He was a beloved member of our post,” Moran said. “Thor lived in Ben Lomond…I would drive him to-and-from the meetings.”
Therp’s birthday was on St. Patrick’s Day.
“He was a really interesting old guy,” Chris recalled.
Moran noted that veterans will often open up to you if they get the sense that you are willing to truly listen to them.
Over the weeks the Veterans Village sign began to take shape.
“These are two 2×12 redwoods that are glued together; then it’s put on two 6×6 redwood posts,” Moran explained. “It’s designed to last long.”
The redwood was sourced from Scarborough Lumber in Ben Lomond. The caps for the top—the final missing pieces—literally arrived on Tuesday: Veterans Day.
“I was trying to stay in connection with the Valley here (and) the kind of signage we have around here, and not be extravagant,” said Moran, explaining his design approach. “It’s a simple sign, trying to let people know there’s Veterans Village behind this shrubbery here.”
He said local residents should be proud that the community has come together to spruce up an old resort in the Santa Cruz Mountains to help improve the lives of veterans.
“They’re helping people out. And that’s a good thing,” he said. “I’m contributing in my own simple way.”
