Sometimes you can just feel it in your bones when another human is truly committed to what they say.
For years, Art Garcia, the owner of Maderas Steakhouse in Los Alamitos, has been faithful to the troops. Nearly every time troops are deployed for new missions overseas; Art is at the base serving them with either breakfast or lunch.
When troops return, he and his team are there as well, with home cooking and refreshments to welcome them back, but mostly, to let them know we, as a people appreciate what they have done for us.
His latest victory, however, is worthy of some note.
When I was at the base for the Regional Military Affairs Committee meeting last week, Art was there. As I waited to interview Lt. Col. Fox, there was Art, waiting to see him as well.
For many years, Art Garcia, in addition to his other well-meaning pursuits with the troops, has been fiercely dedicated to serving the most wounded of the wounded confined to the spinal cord injury unit at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Long Beach.
Men and women whose service injuries are so severe that they are strapped to beds, in many cases cannot move. “Men and women who have lost legs, lost their mind, but served for us,” said Art. “They need to enjoy Christmas.”
Art said he showed up to serve in Vietnam, but the war was ending so since then, he said
God put it on his heart to do everything possible for those who have served and especially those who have paid a price to keep us safe.
He began many years ago by working with Boeing to feed veterans and then began offering free meals to homeless veterans at his restaurant.
But after a call to serve some needed veterans at a VA Hospital, “I never served Christmas dinner at my restaurant again. I saw there was absolutely no Christmas at the VA Hospital and I said to myself, ‘this is where they need Christmas.’”
Since then, Garcia has been serving hundreds of filet mignon meals at the VA Hospital. With his crew of volunteers and Bethany Baptist Church Christmas Carolers, Garcia delivers steak dinners to the spinal cord unit, the psychological rehab unit and throughout several buildings where our most wounded veterans live.
“Sometimes it’s not pretty,” he warns volunteers, noting it can be emotional yet truly rewarding to feed wounded veterans on Christmas. “This is not a trip to Disneyland,” he says wryly.
But then COVID hit, and he was banned from the VA Hospital.
“I didn’t stop,” he said, noting that he still prepared more than 200 meals and brought them to the facility and made sure they were delivered as Christmas carols were sung in the hallway so the brave men and women would know they had not been forgotten.
“It’s been a battle since COVID,” he said, noting he has been “lobbying anyone” who might be able to help him regain access to the VA Hospital at Christmas. “I’d even call their 0mothers if I thought it would help.”
Now, back to Garcia’s appearance at the Regional Military Affairs committee, where he finally did get a word with Lt. Col. Fox. Fox most recently worked at the Pentagon, so his Rolodex is likely broad.
Garcia said he asked Fox like he has asked hundreds of others over the past four years, to try to reopen access to the wounded vets at Christmas.
And like the parting of Red Sea, Garcia said he “got a call seven days ago. They said you can come back in. No restrictions. I was really moved,” said Garcia. “I was really moved,” he says again, his voice trailing off.
His one-man war over the past four years has paid off. The steak dinners are headed back to the VA Hospital this Christmas, and this would-be warrior for good could not be happier.
Persons who want to volunteer can sign up at Maderas on Katella, and those who want to donate $25 for a prime filet mignon meal for a wounded veteran can call (562) 598-0401 to donate.
He’s hoping to feed 250 wounded service members this year, but what he truly wants is to simply find a way to say thank you from the bottom of his heart to these men and women and all those they represent.
Indeed, one can truly feel it when someone is committed to what they say. For this one Los Al businessman, his one-man war for good has been won by sheer persistence and a devotion to service beyond self
