"comunidad del valle." i'm damian trujillo, and today we're gonna go back to our tour of the cesar chavez compound in nuestra senora de la paz in keene county, as we kick off hispanic heritage month here on your "comunidad del valle." [music] male announcer: nbc bay area presents "comunidad del valle," with damian trujillo. damian: we begin today with an organization that's been helping this community for decades. we're talkin' about the american gi forum. with me is esau herrera, who is a member of the great organization of "old number one," verdad? esau herrera: yes, "old number one." damian: now, then, tell us a little bit about the american gi forum, maybe for those folks who might not be aware of the accomplishments and the organization itself. esau: the american gi forum is a family-oriented organization of latino military veterans,

men and women who have served their county and who have made service to veterans and support of public education the cornerstone. our motto is "education is our freedom, and freedom should be everyone's business." damian: and, i mean, it was started--tell us about the founder because he's the one who came back from war and found that the veterans, especially latino veterans were not getting the benefits that they earned and the other services that they've earned. esau: that's correct, dr. hector garcia, a doctor from texas, a military veteran himself, came back and found out that one of his fellow veterans, a latino, was not gonna be buried in the local cemetery because he was mexican. and that started his career in helping veterans, latino veterans. that veteran is now buried in arlington national cemetery. and from that, grew the american gi forum. damian: what does that tell you about the resilience

of the latino veteran? esau: it tells us that we are a patriotic people. we have suffered adversity, but we also believe deeply in the american dream. dr. hector garcia didn't give up. we're not givin' up! we're moving forward, supportin' our veterans, supporting our youth in education, and supporting our community. damian: and that's very true. i received a scholarship from the american gi forum. so did my wife and many other people i know. and so it's not just about helping the veterans and their families. it's about helping the community in general. esau: absolutely, we, for the past almost-40 years now, we've been--we continue to give scholarships to youngsters where-- who are on their way to college. we were glad and proud to have given you one. and, look, it paid off! i congratulate you, damian, on 19 years of "comunidad del valle." you're making a difference thanks to the american gi forum and other community organizations. damian: thank you, esau, and i do appreciate that! i mean, the gi forum has been helping,

again, this community for decades. and one is the veterans day gala dinner/dance that you all are havin', and it's a chance to go out and have a good time and honor veterans. but, again, it's another chance to help give back or continue giving back, tell us about that. esau: that is correct, on saturday, november 7, the american gi forum will be hosting a dinner/dance and honoring local veterans, including world war ii combat veterans who sadly are dying every day because of their advanced age. we're gonna be honoring vietnam war veterans. we're gonna be honoring afghanistan and desert storm veterans. we're gonna be honoring an individual who lives here in santa clara county who is now a candidate for the congressional medal of honor, the highest, the highest medal that our nation gives to any individual, saturday, november 7, dinner/dance, all to support the programs of the american gi forum. damian: you and i were talkin' about this before we

started the show and the fact that i've been trying to do a news report on this gentleman who is a candidate for the congressional medal of honor, but at this point, he's kindly declined the invitation. esau: david sanchez is that type of hero. he served our country. he offered to lay his life on the line. and for that, he's under consideration for the congressional medal of honor, but he doesn't want any recognition. he says, "i just did what anyone would do. i am not a hero." to us, he's our hero. damian: yeah, well, i had the honor of doing a story on alejandro ruiz, who was a congressional medal of honor recipient from world war ii. and so this would be a good opportunity for you to come out. the american gi forum gala dance. it's "old number one" happening again. give us a date, esau, if we can log on to that--the website for more information, but give us a date, esau. esau: saturday, november 7, beginning at 6 p.m., at st. john vianney community hall. damian: all right, we'll be back to talk more about the american gi forum when we continue here on

"comunidad del valle," stay with us. [music] it'll be here before you know it. hello, halloween. it's the one night when everybody dresses up. and that includes dinner. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop. this moment is perfect in every way just like my kid gooey...flaky...happy. toaster strudel. now with more icing.

and you have the flier there in your hands, esau. you are having the niteliters perform, which is--you know, that's a seller of tickets in its own right. esau: yes, it is. the niteliters are well known. they're a legend in our community. great music, both oldies, for people like me, of both mexican music--it's just a wonderful family event coming up. damian: you know, i know that they call their style of music "cali-jano" music. it's their own genre right now. and there's a picture that you have there also of luis alejo, the assemblyman from watsonville area. a powerful speaker, he's been the one who was kind of a spearhead at the end there of the driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants. he's your guest speaker that night. esau: yes, assembly member luis alejo

is the chair of the latino legislative caucus. he's a former educator, a former teacher, an attorney-at-law. he's a son of immigrants. he is american dream, made manifest. we are honored to have assembly member luis alejo being our keynote speaker and guest of honor. damian: está chaparrito como yo también. esau: chaparrito también, pero igual handsome and smart. damian: thank you, esau. let's get back to the gi forum again. give us the reason that you decided to join the organization. esau: i am a proud veteran of the united states navy air reserves. i'm glad to have served my country. but so did my father. my father's a world war ii combat veteran. my father was elected as chaplain of the gi forum, and i am now chaplain of the gi forum. i'm just following in my dad's footsteps. damian: what is it about your family and history of service 'cause you're not alone, you have brothers, también, who did the same. esau: i have a brother who's an air force veteran.

i have an older brother who is a member of the board of trustees of eastside union high school district. i have a younger brother who is a church leader in the area. i have a younger sister who is a parent-pta leader. we are doing what our parents taught us--to serve our community. damian: you're using the american gi forum right now as one of many venues that you and your family use to help out this community, and you've gotten some support with the gi forum. it hit a rocky road there, for a bit, but i think it's on the incline again, right, that things are looking' up? esau: yes, we did hit some rough patches there, but we are very proud to note that people support veterans. people support latino veterans, and people recognize that the greatness of our country is due to many things, including service of their veterans. i'm proud to be a member of the american gi forum, and i'm proud to be a united states naval air reserve--sir!

damian: talk about the commitment of latinos in the armed services because, you know, there might be a misconception, not anymore, maybe because of the work of the american gi forum, but maybe a misconception in several pockets of our communities where we might not imagine that the latinos are actually proud american veterans and service members at this present time. esau: there is one republican candidate for president that i will not name, but to him and to others, i would note that i am the proud nephew of two uncles who are world war ii combat veterans, both of them born in mexico and volunteered for combat duty in the united states army. i'm the proud nephew of a korean war veteran, combat veteran, who was born in mexico and signed up, volunteered for combat duty. we have--i have cousins who are the sons and daughters of those veterans, who are military veterans who served in afghanistan, who served in desert storm,

who served in iraq. so what i would note proudly is that latino community has always been very patriotic. yes, we are mindful of our cultural roots, but we are proud of our country, and we've step forward to serve. damian: in your family's case, why did you sign your name on the dotted line? was it the duty to honor country or was it that your father who led the way or a combination of everything? esau: all the male role models in my life had served. all my older cousins are veterans. my father, again, is a world war ii combat veteran. and i can't say, back then, during the '70s, when the antiwar movement was very strong that it was entirely altruistic on my part. i signed up in order to continue going to college 'cause i either had to go to vietnam with my friends or get a--sign up in the reserves and go to college and law school. so i signed up in the reserves voluntarily.

i'm proud of it. my friends are draft dodgers. my friends are vietnam veterans. my friends are antiwar. i'm a veteran of the united states navy air. damian: well, thank you for serving. it's the american gi forum dinner gala dance, a scholarship fundraiser, what, call it what you will. there's the web address for more information, november 7, at st. john vianney parish, over in east san jose. yeah, thank you so much, esau, for what you do in this community. esau: you're quite welcome. damian: thank you very much. and, up next, here on "comunidad del valle, we take a tour of the cesar chavez family compound in keene county. stay with us.

that sound. like nails on a chalkboard. but listen to this: (family talking) that's a different kind of sound. the sound of the weekend. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop. this moment is perfect in every way just like my kid gooey...flaky...happy. toaster strudel. now with more icing.

month here on "comunidad del valle." and for that reason, we're taking you back on a tour we had a few years ago at the cesar chavez family compound in keene, california, the home place of cesar chavez. paul chavez: i sat down and began to plant the blossom. it was important to us that people would have an idea of who my father was just through the architectural design

and the materials that we use. so, you know, first and foremost, it really is--it's reminiscent of the old missions, right, the california missions. and it was important to us to follow that because, you know, the missions were places that my father instinctively turned to when times were difficult. i remember his kids growing up and when there was a big campaign to plan or if there was a problem that needed to be dealt with, there always seemed to be retreats at the california missions. and i think that it was a place that he found some tranquility and solitude, but also i think it gave him a lot of strength to carry on. and so, the design we have here is following that tradition of a mission garden. now, the other thing is that, you know, we wanted to use materials that really spoke about who he was as a person. and so here we have the "vigas," you know, the beams, and we didn't want any small beams. we wanted these big pieces of lumber that were weathered and that, just by looking at them, gave you the impression that they'd stand the test of time, just like my father's life and his work. you know, we also have the walls that are thick and massive.

and so it's nothing real refined here. you know, it wasn't important to us that things were polished or that the lines were real straight. it was more important that we delivered a sense of permanence and just that it was gonna be here for a long time. another part of the work that's important to us was being responsible with the materials that we use. you know, the vigas that we talked about, they're actually--it's old growth redwood that was cut over 100 years ago, and we found them at a mill in northern california. these are actually recycled old redwoods from a railroad bridge. this is the new visitor's center, and it's really the old office that my father worked in from 1971 to 1993. it was a place that saw many great events, but more importantly, it was a place that he'd carried the daily work of the movement from. why don't we go inside, and we can show you what we have here. now one of the things that we did from the very beginning was

we cut a hole in the wall so that you could see the door with the eagles around it. and that's actually my father's office, much like it was with the eagles painted around his doors. and so we wanted people to see the office from the very beginning and use it as a draw to pull people through the exhibit. the work that we have here for the opening is really a series of photographs, and it's titled "the life & work of cesar chavez," and it's a collection of photographs by some very good photographers who were with my dad at different points during his life. the first one we have here is--i think it's my favorite. it's a picture of my father. you know, he was probably 35 years old. and he's there, and it looks like it's a mariachi, or there's a guitar behind him, but he's intent, and you can see that he's really studying the situation. but, to me, you know, when you look at that, you get a sense of determination that here's this young man who is determined to succeed.

this is the eagle. it was taken in southern california. and if look at him, you know, you can see that, with all of the pressures in the work he had, he was still a human being. and there, you know, we look at him. he looks like he's free, like he's floating. [music] paul: our hope is that, when people come here, they'll be inspired by my father's life and work and that they'll leave this place with a sense of knowing that they have a moral obligation to help people. and so what we have here is really a replica of farmworker housing. it's an old tin shack with some of the tools, but if you look inside, you can see it's very--it's a very humble place. you know, i think that, as parents, we all want our kids to never have to experience conditions like that, but i think it's important that people understand that people still live like that. [music] damian: oftentimes, cesar would climb this hill behind me in keene, california. he would do a lot of his heavy thinking up

there--his meditation. then he would come back down and formalize his next plan of attack. and now here's more with his son, paul chavez. paul: from 1968, when bobby kennedy came out to help him break his first fast of 21 days, there's my mother, bobby kennedy in the middle, my father, but it's this series where bobby kennedy breaks a piece of bread and gives it to my father. [music] paul: you know, when they first started organizing in 1962, my father knew that people were scared of unions because every attempt to build a union had been crushed. and so, they started the movement, right, with the name the national farm workers association. they called it an association, and then the filipino union was the awoc, the agricultural workers organizing committee. and then it was when the two merged that the ufw name was born, yeah. [music] paul: you know, these were the famous friday night meetings.

and i'm sure you've probably talked to people from san jose who said they talked about the food caravans they used to bring down. well, this is where they would come to, and there would be meetings, and the meetings would lift people's spirits and, you know, and they would give reports. and so this was one of the famous friday night meetings at the filipino hall in delano. this is, you know, a picture from the first strike, the grape strike in 1965. and, yet, you can see it was a very difficult time. you can see that, you know, that there's my father, and he has a very serious look on his face. but, you know, i think that, when you look at the man behind him, i think you get an idea of what the struggle was about. you know, here's a man who, obviously, has given the better part of his life to agriculture and has nothing to show for it. he was always grateful to bobby kennedy because, up until that time, political figures didn't come around. actually, they stayed away from us, and he was the first national political figure to come out. i mean, not only just to come out, but to come out and say, "i stand with farmworkers," and so my father was always grateful.

bobby kennedy: but i suggest in the interim period of time that the sheriff and the district attorney read the constitution of the united states. [crowd cheering] paul: pictures of my dad and luis valdez at an old hiring home. actually, it's a clinic building, i should say. this is my dad's office. and after he passed away, we made a decision to leave it the way it was so that people could see how he worked and what was important to him. you know, after my father passed away, many people from different places, you know, asked me, "how would you describe your dad in a couple of words?" and, you know, well, how do you do that, right? and i think it was really difficult because i think my father was different things and meant different things to different groups, right? i think to religious groups, they kind of saw the gospel in action. to labor, i think they maybe saw a time when things were a little

bit more vigorous and so reminded many labor leaders of their earlier days and that struggle to win worker rights. i think for students, you know, he was kind of, like, on the forefront of the revolution, right? and so he meant different things to people, but in coming to his office and looking around, some of the things that i really began to appreciate was how my father was really a person that did have his priorities right. he was very balanced, balanced in the sense that, you know, if we look at his desk here, straight across from him, he has the complete writings of mahatma gandhi's books that talked about sacrifice and fasting and nonviolence. and it's really kind of those spiritual things that we all aspire to. but, at the same time, on this shelf right next it over here, he had the complete writings by peter drucker that talked about organizational management and running meetings and accounting

for non-financial managers, right? now, you know, at first glance, you might think that these two books don't belong in the same library. well, they did for my dad, right, because he was a man of vision, and he had these really big ideals, but he also knew that you just don't accomplish and you don't bring about social change by marching and picketing. of course, it's important, but you also gotta know how to run things. and so, for him, there was no conflict. he knew that you have to aspire to those bigger and more important things, those bigger ideals, but that you have to have your feet planted firmly on the ground and be able to perform the work on a daily basis. you know, there's an image illuminated on the wall there. you know, that's an organizational chart. my father was always doing charts where he'd sit down, and he'd divide up the work and have a department to do this, and this person needs to do this, and this person needs to do that. and so, i think it kind of shows even the tactical thinking behind his work. but if you look at his desk here, you know, his jacket is just a--it's a j.c. penny jacket.

it's a work jacket. his chair was, you know, was an old, folding rocking chair that was comfortable for him. damian: that's worse than a desk chair. paul: right, exactly. behind him, you know, he has his santos in the corner, saint francis and la virgen de guadalupe, and a bunch of saints from--a bunch of the cristos from new mexico. and that was very important to him because, you know, it was that faith that really sustained him during those difficult times. and you don't really see a lot of powerful figures with altars in their office. but, for him, you know, it belonged there. damian: boy, if you have never been to keene, california, to keene county and la paz, the compound of the chavez family, you have to make a trip down there. it is open to the public, and it's very inspiring. up next here on "comunidad del valle," the music of los regionales. stay with us.

my name is phil zietlow, and i've been an engineer on the cheerios team for 51 years. about five years ago, i found out that if my daughter-in-law, joyce, eats anything with gluten in it she feels pretty darn terrible. so my team and i came up with a way to remove the grains that contain gluten, from the naturally gluten free oats that cheerios are made of. so now joyce and i can have cheerios together anytime we want. and if you love someone with celiac, or gluten sensitivity, you can too. "que pasa."

[music] [music] [music] [music] [music] damian: in our saludos for those celebrating a special day, felicidades! [music] damian: and here's our address for next week's saludos. you can follow me on twitter. my handle is @newsdamian.

and, also, pick up a copy of el observador newspaper and support your bilingual weeklies all across the bay area. we thank you, once again, for sharing a part of your sunday with us on "comunidad del valle." we'll leave you now with the music of los regionales. buenos dias. [music] [music] [singing in a spanish] [singing in a spanish]

[speaking in spanish] [music] [singing in spanish] [singing in spanish] cc by aberdeen captioning 1-800-688-6621 www.abercap.com

it'll be here before you know it. hello, halloween. it's the one night when everybody dresses up. and that includes dinner. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop. this moment is perfect in every way just like my kid gooey...flaky...happy. toaster strudel. now with more icing.

. nbc sports, home of the 2016 rio olympics, the nhl, premier league, nascar chase for the playoffs and prime time's number one show, sunday night football, only on nbc. from every corner of the globe, 24 of the world's best come into the land of the morning calm. >> i'm pleased to announce that in 2015, the presidents cup will be staged in south korea. it comes with the recognition of the development of elite players in korea and in asia.