In recognition of National Military Spouse Appreciation Day, the offices of Assembly Member Jeff Gorell, Senator Tony Strickland and Military-Families.org will host an event in Camarillo to honor the spouses of our military service men and women.

The free dinner event will take place on Friday, May 6th at the Camarillo Community Center, located at 1605 Burnley Street in Camarillo. The event is scheduled to run from 5 to 8 pm, and is open to members of the public and media.

Anyone wishing to attend the event or to suggest the spouse of a Military Service Member who should be honored is asked to contact Amanda Broggie with the Office of Assembly Member Jeff Gorell at 805-230-9167. Please contact the office with your RSVPs or nominations by Wednesday, May 4th.

A third generation naval officer, Assembly Member Jeff Gorell was called back to active duty by the U.S. Navy on March 18th. Since then he has reported for refresher training at Fort Dix, and is expected to deploy to Afghanistan in the next few days. He currently holds the rank of Lt. Commander with the Navy (Reserve) as an intelligence officer and has previously served a tour of duty in Afghanistan shortly after the events of 9/11.

During the time that he will be on active duty with the Navy, Gorell will not be receiving his legislative salary or benefits.

Senator Strickland’s father, Sergeant First Class Donald Strickland, served honorably in Vietnam and Korea with 21 years of active duty and was a member of the 82nd Airborne. While on active duty in Germany, Sergeant Strickland met his future wife Antonie who emigrated from Germany and became a U.S. Citizen in 1971.

First proclaimed in 1984, the Friday before Mother’s Day was designated as Military Spouse Appreciation Day by President Ronald Reagan, and has continued to be celebrated by each of his successors.