Veteran's Day fundraiser for wounded soldier

The Petaluma Peace Officer's Association will hold a fundraiser BBQ on Sunday for Sgt. Monte Bernardo, a Petaluma solider who lost three limbs after stepping on a bomb in Afghanistan in July.

The BBQ will be from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Walnut Park on the corner of Petaluma Boulevard South and D Street during the Veteran's Day Parade.

Bernardo, who attended Petaluma Junior High and Petaluma High School and worked in Petaluma as a plumber and carpenter before joining the army six years ago, was leading his troop of 47 soldiers on July 4 through the high desert of the Kandahar province when his company began taking fire. During the melee, Bernardo stepped on a landmine.

He was transported to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, where he has been recovering ever since. His mother, Helena Westlake, a teacher at Wilson Elementary School, said that her son will continue to live at the recovery center for one to two more years, depending on his rate of recovery.

All proceeds from the POAP's Sunday fundraiser will go directly to the online Monte Bernardo fund to assist Bernardo in his life and recovery from his injuries.

For more information, visit www.montebernardo.org.

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.