Veterans support group finds new home after conflict at Milpitas Restaurant

A group of Vietnam veterans now have a new home at South Bay Restaurant for their weekly reunions.

The veterans, who informally call their group “Veterans Helping Veterans,” met at the Black Bear Diner in Milpitas until last month. It was then that the new manager told them that they could no longer use that room.

The decision came as a shock to the group, which met twice a month for about ten years. The veterans would have breakfast or lunch, telling each other about the ups and downs of their experiences. The Black Bear Diner also served as a place for them to help each other.

For example, one of its members, Hayward Cook, served as a navigator on a B-57 bomber. But today, he is helping other veterans navigate the financial and medical systems they must rely on.

Mike Gamboa, owner of the Omega restaurant in Milpitas, saw the NBC Bay Area’s initial coverage of veterans and decided to open his doors to meetups. The group held its first meeting at the Gamboa restaurant on Tuesday.

Joe Sigala, one of the members, said the band is happy in their new home.

Veterans Helping Veterans reported that Black Bear Diner’s corporate office issued an apology and told the group they were still welcome at the restaurant. But over dinner on Tuesday, the veterans voted to stay at Omega.

An old waitress from the Black Bear Diner, Fanny Lopez, joined the meeting. She told us that she would miss her friends who bought her a stroller when she was pregnant.

It was a celebration, a reunion and a new beginning for the band. The veterans at the new meeting place continued to tell stories of the war and leaned on each other when the memories were too many to handle.

It is a healing process for us,” said veteran Philip Andrade. “What I get from this group is therapy.”