Tribute Paid County’s Blinded Veterans

When the somber tones of “Taps” sounded through the courtyard, tears welled up in Arcola Woelfel’s eyes.

“I couldn’t help it. It’s a sad feeling,” said Woelfel, 85, of Santa Ana, grasping a small American flag in her hand. “But it’s good to be remembered.”

Woelfel, who is partially blind, served as a Navy nurse during World War II. She was among 200 people who attended the Braille Institute’s tribute to blind veterans Tuesday at the institute’s regional center in Anaheim.

Many in the audience were blind or visually impaired. Several said they were touched by the ceremony, which featured speeches, patriotic music and the traditional posting of colors in an open-air courtyard festooned with flags and bunches of red, white and blue balloons.

“It felt real good. I felt like they remembered us,” said Army veteran Ray Rivera, 62, of Anaheim.

“It seemed like people were taking interest in the blinded veterans,” added Harold B. Merickel, 63, who served in the Air Force from 1948 to 1957 and who has lost some vision from a disease of the retina. He attended the ceremony with his guide dog of six years, a golden retriever named Isaac.

The tribute, billed as a Memorial Day kickoff, was the first of its kind organized by the Braille Institute, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization founded in 1919 that offers free training, programs and services to the blind and visually impaired throughout Southern California.

The institute decided to hold the event because a number of its clients are veterans, said spokeswoman Julie M. Gates. In all, 600 blind or visually impaired veterans live in the Orange County area, she said. Several veterans at the Tuesday event said they were enrolled in institute courses, from independent living to gardening.

Loud applause greeted the main speaker, Brig. Gen. Charles F. Bolden Jr., assistant commander of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Miramar Naval Air Station. A veteran of more than 100 missions in the Vietnam War, Bolden became an astronaut and has flown four space shuttle missions. He commended the blind veterans for what he called an ability to see beyond obstacles.

“They’re able to keep their mind’s eye, and their hearts, on their goals,” he said.

As the music faded and the veterans began leaving the courtyard, some said they were honored by the tribute.

Said Lawrence C. Cox, 70, of Anaheim, who fought at Okinawa: “It seemed like somebody cares about the veterans.”