naval defense areas throughout the Pacific territories . His third deployment was to Hamilton Airfield with the 4th Air Rescue Group in Novato CA . This was during the Korean War where many of the American advanced fighter jets and their crews came from Hamilton AFB . His 4th and final deployment was with the 5th Air Force ( Advance ) Korea in the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea . The 5th Air Force was largely responsible for bringing a swift end to the war in this first “ Jet War ” in history . By the end of the war , the 5th had flown over 625,000 missions , downing 953 North Korean and Chinese aircraft .
After serving in the United States Air Force , Eddie attended San Jose City College , San Jose State and Lincoln Law School , earning an associate of arts degree in sociology .
Sanchez began his career of service working in the Santa Clara County Sheriff ’ s Department , first as a bailiff for Judge Harold Holden – who became his mentor and lifelong friend , then as a community relations officer , working alongside his partner Don Tamm at Chicano Park in south San Jose ’ s Hellyer Park among other high intensity areas . Sanchez and Tamm brought the original idea of a workforce development training program to Father Anthony Soto , Catholic priest , activist , and Pastor of our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in the “ Sal Si Puedes ” ( Get out if you can ) barrio of East San Jose . Father Soto ( and Executive Director , Russel Tershy ) eventually formed the Center for Employment Training ( CET )— a non-profit training organization responsible for training over 250,000 individuals
to date . Ed eventually moved on to become the Assistant Director of the Santa Clara County Housing Authority , where he opposed the concept of low-income multi-family housing developments in favor of affordable single-family units to help empower and uplift qualified low-income tenants lease and eventually purchase homes through Santa Clara County .
But for many Gilroy residents , his label as a “ true hero ” most likely comes from his role as founder of the Gilroy Citizenship Education Project , where he worked as an educator , mentor , motivator , and cheerleader for the community ’ s immigrants for over 30 years .
Known as “ El Maestro ” by his students , Ed is a model of a visionary community champion . His passion has always been to educate , equip , and empower his students to dream big and follow those dreams to improve their lives and the lives of their families .
“ I think he ' s helped more than half of Gilroy ’ s immigrants become U . S . citizens , including his own mother who earned her citizenship at 95 years old ,” said Jesse Sanchez of his uncle . “ He ’ s a very intelligent man who used his knowledge and experience to help people .”
Ed ' s Mike Sanchez adds , “ My dad is many things . Among his finest qualities is a true passion to help the underserved and be a voice for the voiceless . He has committed his entire life to doing just that . His contributions to the community have touched and improved the lives of thousands of families .” ( continued )
MAIN IMAGE : The 2022 Veteran ' s Day Parade led by Gilroy ' s VFW Post 6309 . The inaugural parade was hosted by the South Santa Clara Valley Memorial District and the Gilroy Veteran ' s Hall . ABOVE : Korean War Veteran Edward Sanchez is the 2023 Veteran ' s Day Parade Grand Marshal . When not posing for pictures with his favorite child Mike , Ed can be found zipping around town running errands . At 90 , Ed continues to assist local families through mentorship , advocacy , and connections to resources and services . Known as " El Maestro " to his clients , Ed has been a resource for multiple generations of local families .
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