Wilton military veterans gather for a group photo at the Wilton History Group’s annual Military and Veterans’ Appreciation Day. Photo by Gary Soto

WILTON, CA (MPG) - Members of the Wilton History Group are preparing for their annual Military and Veterans’ Appreciation Day to be held Nov. 11. The event will be held at the Wilton Community Center, 9717 Colony Road, on the corner of Dillard and Wilton roads. Ample parking is available in front of the center. The morning program includes a pancake breakfast, veteran and military displays and a short program.

Doors open at 8 a.m., and all attendees are asked to sign in at the welcome table. The pancake breakfast hours are 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. The breakfast is free to all veterans and their immediate family members. All others are welcome to enjoy the breakfast by donating.

Area residents enjoy Wilton’s Military and Veterans’ Appreciation Day breakfast at the 2025 appreciation Day. Photo by Gary Soto

Veteran and military displays include a large collection of artifacts, uniforms, Wilton veteran photos and information as well as binders with newspaper articles. Wilton History Group member Alice Kutzer has spent many years collecting veteran photos and information and creating artful display boards.

“It has been a labor of love,” Kutzer said. “I have enjoyed every minute of working to honor our veterans.”

Many of the artifacts and uniforms were donated by Wilton History Group members, their families and the community. Several years ago, Kutzer began a project of gathering newspaper articles about area veterans and area residents and placing these articles in binders. Her project has grown to be a valuable resource that is easy to view and preserves much local information that could have been lost. Those binders referring to veterans will be on display for perusing.

Appreciation Day attendees have many tables of military and veteran artifacts, uniforms, and veteran photos to study. Photo by Gary Soto

A short program will begin at 9 a.m. Wilton History Group member Jim Ring will be master of ceremonies. Pastors Jonathan Vickery, Living Waters Church, and John Schmidt, Wilton Bible Church, will offer the invocation and the benediction. The Trail-Life group will conduct the flag ceremony. Speakers include Chaplin John Kent who will speak on the significance of the missing man’s table. The military speakers will be Veteran Jim Koroush, who is turning 90 years old in November, and Erin Radulovich, a retired 20-year Air Force veteran. Kutzer and Ring will read a list of Wilton veterans who have died and are on our ‘Memory OF’ boards. New this year will be a collection box for used U.S. flags for a future flag retirement ceremony.

At the end of the program all attending veterans will be invited to pose for a group photo. All area residents are invited to attend the appreciation day.

“Although we specifically name our Wilton veterans, all area veterans are invited,” Kutzer said. “We honor all our veterans and thank them for their service.”