Jim Costa: “Next week Americans throughout the country will celebrate Veterans Day. In cities and towns and hamlets, which all of us…”

“Next week Americans throughout the country will celebrate Veterans Day. In cities and towns and hamlets, which all of us come from, we will take the time to thank and to honor those men and women who have served our Nation so nobly, to protect our freedoms and to keep this country safe, safe from all harm, foreign and domestic. Americans take a great deal of pride in their service to our country, and we must also remember those men and women who are today serving in Active Duty in harm's way throughout the world. I want to take this opportunity to honor two veterans who passed away this last September, who I worked with closely and who were community leaders, Charlie Waters and Earl Watson, both gentlemen who exemplified what is the best and the brightest our Nation has to offer. Earl Watson, or as many like to call him, ``Earl, the Pearl,'' was a World War II veteran. After the war, he moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as a doorman in the famous Hotel Knickerbocker. During a difficult time in our Nation's history, during World War II, when segregation was still in many places the law of the land, Earl was most proud that he could serve his Nation. He wrote a biography titled ``Earl `The Pearl' Watson: Doorman to the Stars.'' But what he was most proud of was his service to our Nation. Earl loved people. He had a big smile, a friendly demeanor, and an eagerness to help those in need.…”