#VeteranOfTheDay Marine Veteran Pete Card

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Marine Veteran Private 1st Class Pete Card.

Pete Card joined the United States Marine Corps in 1956. He completed his basic training at Camp Pendleton and served two years at Twenty-nine Palms Marine Corps Base. When Pete became Private 1st Class, his mother had accidentally sewn his stripes on upside down on his uniform.  Fortunately, Pete noticed before returning to his unit and the stripes were immediately put in their proper place.

As the Card family has a long history of Military Service, including Pete’s Grandfather COL Lee Card who served in WWI, Pete’s brothers soon followed suit.  His brother Dave Card joined the Air Force, Harry “Bill” Card served in the Army, and Jon Card served in the Navy.  The family photo shows all the brothers in uniform with their parents and Pete’s sister, Ellen, who worked at El Camino Hospital.

Pete is the father of two and the grandfather of many, with more to come.  He resides in Santa Cruz, California with his wife, Michele.

Today, he celebrates his 80th birthday!

Thank you for your service, Pete!

Semper Fi!

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? You’re in luck! VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Graphic created by Dominique Ramirez: Dominique is a member of VA’s Digital Media Engagement team. He manages multiple pages across the VA.gov domain, including the VAntage Point blog. He also creates graphics for VA’s social media channels.