Vietnam vet Samuelson devotes time to his community

Vietnam veteran Ed Samuelson spent time in the Air Force and Navy and now dedicates time to his community, (Photo by Kelvin Portillo)

By Kelvin Portillo, Correspondent

Edward “Ed” Samuelson, 74, is a Vietnam veteran and an active member of his community with involvement in Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and participation in Menifee’s Quality of Life Measure Oversight Committee, previously known as Measure DD. He attends numerous city council meetings. Samuelson dedicates his time to the community in part to be a better informed citizen of local government and to pass it on to his beighbors, if need be.

His commitment and curiosity began during his two tours at Vietnam in the Navy from 1968-1972. From 1972-1980, Samuelson was in the Naval Air Reserve, and in October of 1980 he worked as an Air Reserve Technician (ART) in the Air Force Reserve. Afterward, he worked a civilian career as Quality Assurance Representative for the Department of Defense (DoD) for over 30 years. Samuelson retired in 2013.

“I get a lot of pleasure and I take a lot of pride in community service, both at the city level and at the federal level too,” Samuelson said. “For more people to get involved, be better educated on city government to fully understand how they operate."

Financial literacy is an important topic he likes to stay well informed in as he believes it is a good foundation to understand city government. As an example, he was appointed to Vice Chair position for the Quality of Life (Measure DD) committee, in which he is responsible for overseeing the funds to ensure they are allocated correctly. The measure provides funds to “improve public safety, roads, and other general services,” according to the City of Menifee website.

Samuelson is also the charter representative for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), in which he liaisons between Post 1956 and other organizations in Menifee. He appreciates being part of the VFW as it doesn’t cater exclusively to veterans and gets involved as much as veterans can in their respective community. This year the VFW will participate in the Memorial Day event.

His admiration and candor for civil service doesn’t stop at the VFW.

“We have a great city council,” Samuelson said. “You can talk to anyone on the council and it doesn’t have to be from your district. That’s what so super about it; they’re so open minded and their dedication to the city and city services is awesome.”

Samuelson attends numerous city council meetings in person or online because he’s interested in how the city functions. He’s even made it a point to approach and be familiar with several council members, both past and present.

With his military experience and dedication to his community, he was asked whether he has ever thought of running for an elected position.

“I kinda like being in the background,” Samuelson said with a chuckle.

Among his many qualifications, he has participated with Menifee PD in DUI checkpoints and is Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training certified.

Samuelson’s lifelong work in the Air Force and service in the Navy has made him not only knowledgeable about woking with aircrafts, but as well a dedicated civil servant for residents of Menifee.