If they didn’t know it was an awards show, anyone passing the Rush Park Community Center last Thursday would have wondered what in the world were so many police and fire vehicles from around the county doing parked in one place as the Los Alamitos Chamber of Commerce hosted its 7th Annual Heroes Luncheon.
Sparked by an idea from Chamber member Judy Klabouch, who attended Thursday’s event, the First Responder event has become a must-attend event as agencies that employ military officials, law-enforcement officials, firefighters and other first responders gathered to honor their own.
“We are so blessed to be part of a community who really continues to wrap their arms around all of those who serve so selflessly on behalf of all of us,” said Master of Ceremonies Dr. Andrew Pulver said in welcoming the crowd.
“The Chamber of Commerce is pleased to once again be able to honor all these brave young men and women,” he said.
Pulver is a former Chamber Co-President and current Superintendent of the Los Alamitos Unified School District.
“We want to thank all of the chamber members who helped donate a meal,” said Pulver.
“Anyone who was coming to lunch today in uniform was going to be having their lunch covered as we were going to make sure to show our love and deep appreciation to our first responders,” he said.
State Sen. Tony Strickland said “we can never thank these individuals enough because they are the heroes of our community.”
Quoting something he said his father told him, “It is up to every generation to leave the next generation with more opportunity than you had and I will never apologize for giving our public safety officials, our National Defense as well as our police and firefighters the tools they need to keep us safe,” said Strickland.
“There’s a lot of other people who get awards but these people are the heroes of our society,” he added.
Assembly Member Tri Ta, also attending, said although he was born in Saigon, he left Vietnam for America to find freedom.
“That’s why I understand the meaning of freedom, and public safety is the number one priority, and you all have my commitment to work together so that we have a strong commitment to make sure that our neighborhoods are going to be safe,” the Assemblyman said.
The Chamber allows each command staff at the responsive agencies to select their own “hero” for the year, and each agency sends a high-ranking official to present the awardee with the honor.
In addition, for each awardee, a large group of elected officials and representatives from local agencies await behind to present additional commendations.
For the first time since the inception of the “Heroes” Luncheon, an awardee passed away after being selected by the agency but before last week’s event.
MA1 Ray Asuega, a native of Pogo Pogo, American Samoa, was the honoree this year as selected by the command staff of the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station.
MA1 Ray Asuega was a real U.S. Navy Sailor. He served honorably for 16 years, holding the rank of Master-at-Arms First Class (E-6, an enlisted rank, not an officer). Most recently, he was assigned to the Security Department at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach.
Tragically, MA1 Asuega passed away in July 2026 while on leave visiting family. His passing was heavily covered in military and local news.
“Ray could seem intimidating but was genuinely warm with strong military bearing,” said MC Austin Harvey, who said Ray was “always first to volunteer and help.”
MCS Brandon Kinney, who said he accompanied the body back to American Samoa, said the honor meant so much to the family, his wife Miriam and Ray’s entire community.
“Ray was one of the most selfless people I’ve ever met, and when we brought him home, we saw exactly where that selflessness came from,” said Kinney. “He was raised by a family, a community, and a village whose love of country and character shaped who Ray truly was,” he said.
Staff Sgt. Rachel Galbraith presented the “Hero Award” to Sgt. Isabella Suarez, 79th Sustainment Command, stationed at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos.
“All of these years she has delivered critical intelligence, enhancing command decision making, force protection, operational planning and threat analysis,” said Galbraith.
Suarez, she said, “demonstrates her commitment to excellence beyond her primary mission simultaneously. Sergeant Suarez aspires to continue serving in positions of increasing responsibility while mentoring future soldiers and intelligence professionals.”
JFTB Commander Lt. Col. Jubilee Satele, Cal National Guard presented the “Hero Award” to Sgt. First Class Pearl Jane Jardinaso.
Jardinaso, he said, is a “ready-made citizen,” whose primary duties include administrative actions and training. In addition to her primary duties, he said, Jardinaso also does additional work for the unit and installation.
“I haven’t been with the supply Sergeant for years. Supply sergeants handle all the unit’s logistics and support the installation. Last year’s inspection came in at a very low 37 percent. As long as I’ve been in uniform,” he said, “I have never had such a score.”
With Jardinaso doing extra service, this year’s annual survey inspection came around, and “I was just hoping for 60% the mid year 70% to get back out of the red,” he said. “The results of that inspection were 84.5%,” the base commander said. “Beyond my expectations,” he added.
Patrol Lt. Remigio Bembi presented his department’s “Hero Award” to Cal. Highway Patrol Officer Michael Chitjian.
“I have the privilege of recognizing a man whose career is defined by service, dedication, courage, and unwavering commitment to doing what is right,” he said of Chitjian, citing one example among many of his continued commitment.
“The relentless investigative work of Officer Chitjian identified the suspect vehicle and helped coordinate the surveillance and investigative units, and efforts followed when the suspect was located; he fled,” said Bembi.
“The suspect then intentionally rammed multiple vehicles, including a CHP patrol vehicle, but Officer Chitjian never lost sight of the mission, and the suspect was ultimately captured and arrested, without hesitation. It is what happens when skill meets determination,” said Bembi.
Lt. Col. Rose Rivas of the 40th Infantry Division, based also at JFTB, presented their “Hero Award” to MSC Christopher E. Coleman, the service member with a ‘million-dollar smile.’
“Lt. Coleman and I have actually known him since we were going up the ranks,” she said. “He was a Sergeant at that time when I was a Lieutenant back in 2012, and it is an honor to present him with this award today,” said Rivas.
“Today, he is the utmost professional soldier, and he is usually always at the right place at the right time and has the ability to influence others to do jobs that they don’t want to do with a smile,” she said.
“And his smile is contagious,” she said as Lt. Coleman indeed, smiled.
Lt. Coleman is currently the chief paralegal for the Judge Advocate section of the infantry division headquarters. He’s responsible for training over 30 soldiers and recently saved the life of a woman using a Heimlich maneuver at a base lunch meeting.
“As I’ve said, he’s usually at the right place at the right time,” said Lt. Col. Rivas.
Los Alamitos Police Department Chief Michael Claborn had the task of presenting his “Hero Award” to Sgt. Nestor Rodriquez, even though Rodriquez, facing health issues, could not attend.
“His nomination consistently reflected his exceptional leadership, unwavering professionalism, and deep commitment to serving both the community and his fellow officers,” said Claborn, “despite facing personal health challenges.”
“He has remained motivated, focused, and committed to serving the community and supporting his fellow officers,” the police chief said. “His professionalism, under the circumstances, speaks volumes about his career and his character,” said Claborn.
“Recently, Sergeant Rodriguez stepped up and served as the acting Detective Sergeant, taking additional responsibility with no hesitation, which demonstrates his selfless commitment,” said Claborn.
Rodriquez exemplifies the highest standards of professionalism and maintains an exceptional work ethic and steadfast dedication to his responsibilities, he added.
Jeff Sibley, Los Al Army Airfield Command, presented their “Hero Award” to JFTB top air traffic controller Mohamad Qasem, who didn’t even know he was getting an Award until he walked through the door and saw his name posted on a screen.
“We got invited, and Mohamad came in with his wife. He walked through the door and he sees his picture at the entrance and it was pretty obvious that he did not know that he had been nominated,” said Sibley.
He said Mohamad is the longest serving air traffic controller in the National Guard Bureau in this country “and it keeps us out of trouble. He knows the regulations, he knows the business and he’s been there he’s done that,” said Sibley.
“Additionally he runs the air traffic control school in our tower. The course, he said, was his startup, his syllabus, his approval, and it went all the way to the Pentagon and all the way to the National Guard Bureau to support the warfighters and the installation,” he said.
“Whatever needs to be done, he’s always able to be counted on and relied on,” said Sibley. “Our inspections are always from the mid 90s to the high 90s in our air traffic control areas. That’s keeping our airspace safe,” he noted.
Given the airspace around the JFTB tower “is the busiest airspace in the country, and Mohamad has a bead on it and keeps us safe.”
Craig Covey, Orange County Fire Authority, presented his agency’s “Hero Award” to OCFA Firefighter Apparatus Engineer Bruce Hale.
Covey said Hale has a reputation for keeping his truck (fire engine) and station in “immaculate condition. His engine is in immaculate readiness and setup when he goes on responses,” said Covey.
“It is laid out perfectly, and his pay-it-forward ethos makes a great contribution to our service,” he said, noting that Hale volunteers with the cadet program, helping to train future firefighters.
Multiple Academy valedictorians came through his pipeline, Covey said, and Hale has had a broad instructional impact, teaching aspiring firefighters to become engineers.
Covey said Hale is “the epitome of a professional engineer, someone I’m super proud to call a friend and even more honored to work with.”
Despite a rousing ovation from the crowd in relation to Covey’s role in the recent Garden Grove chemical fire, which nearly caused a major explosion, the firefighter said it was a group effort.
“I wasn’t alone,” said Covey, naming the many “unified command partners and teams, including hazmat, drone program, communications, law enforcement, public works, cities and local elected state officials, who were all involved.”
Covey said he “merely had the honor of telling the story of what the men and women did at the scene, stressing time and again that the community should recognize all of those members, asking them all to stand for a round of applause.
Capt. Matthew Timmons of the OC Sheriff’s Department presented their “Hero Award” to Deputy Rami Murillo.
“Since starting in the North Patrol Bureau, he has established himself as one of the most productive deputies on our team since January,” said Capt. Timmons. He said Murillo has handled approximately 530 calls for service including about 200 self -initiated activities.
Murillo has made approximately 70 arrests and consistently maintains one of the highest consumed time percentages in our Bureau, said Timmons.
He described a case involving a wanted individual with severe mental health and medical issues. Rami still sought out that opportunity and got that person help through our mental health resources and medical resources. Once that was all complete, he still took that person to jail.
“That’s what we encourage,” said Timmons, “to provide compassion but also ultimately hold people accountable for their crimes.”
UCI Health Los Alamitos CEO Kent Clayton presented their “Hero Award” to Ramandeep Brar, MD.
“A hero is defined by a lifetime of their compassion, leadership, and dedication,” said Clayton, “not a single act. Dr. Brar has provided nearly two decades of exceptional cardiovascular care since 2006, earning a reputation for Clinical Excellence, compassion and integrity,” the hospital CEO said.
“Dr. Brar has been a steady leader throughout the hospital’s growth and transition into UCI Health,” said Clayton, praising Dr. Brar for “being always focused on outstanding patient care.”
Beyond clinical work, she has advanced quality initiatives, mentored physicians and served in leadership roles with professionalism and humanity, the doctor said.