Rotary District 5170 Veterans Day Celebration

Rotary District 5170 Veterans Day Celebration
Honor. Recognize. Celebrate.

Join us for an evening of gratitude, fellowship, and celebration as we honor the veterans and active duty service members who have served our country.

The evening will feature a special program with guest speakers Matt and Loreen Gibbons, sharing an extraordinary story of survival, loss, resilience, and hope. Matt, a San Juan Bautista Rotarian, survived a 1978 plane crash in the Bering Sea, where the surviving crew was rescued by a Soviet fishing vessel. Loreen, whose first husband was the pilot who died in the crash, wrote about the tragic loss of her husband, the pilot of Matt’s plane, and then later found love again with Matt. Come hear their remarkable story of humanity transcending international tensions while enjoying an evening of community,

You'll also discover how local Rotary clubs support our veterans and active duty service members. And you'll enjoy delicious tacos, included with your registration, and your favorite drinks from our no-host bar as we celebrate service, community, and those who serve our country!

Let’s come together to honor those who serve and celebrate the connections that unite us all.

Matt and Loreen Gibbons — A Story of Survival, Resilience, and Second Chances

Matt and Loreen Gibbons share an extraordinary story of courage, loss, and the enduring power of human connection.

In October 1978, Matt was a crew member aboard a U.S. Navy P-3 Orion patrol aircraft conducting a Cold War mission near the Soviet coast when an emergency forced the plane into the frigid waters of the North Pacific. After the aircraft sank, the surviving crew battled freezing temperatures and violent seas before being rescued by a Soviet fishing vessel in an extraordinary international rescue effort.

Loreen was the wife of the aircraft’s pilot, Lieutenant Commander Jerry Grigsby, who died in the disaster. In her moving memoir, All Eternity Lies Before Me: Hope, Faith, and Love After the Loss of Navy Alfa Foxtrot 586, she recounts both the harrowing events at sea and the anguish experienced by the families waiting for news at home. Her story also explores healing, resilience, and finding love again: Loreen and Matt, one of the survivors, eventually married.

Today, Matt brings the perspective of a survivor of this historic event, while Loreen preserves its human story through her writing. Together, they offer a powerful reminder of courage under extraordinary circumstances, the bonds forged through adversity, and the possibility of hope after profound loss.