2022 Special Guests
Each year, since 1918, the United Veterans Council of Santa Clara County has produced a Veterans Day Parade with support from the City of San Jose, Santa Clara County, and contributions from many individuals and organizations. This parade, the largest Veterans Day Parade in Northern California, honors all who served or are currently serving their country.
2022 Parade Grand Marshal
Rear Admiral Anne Swap is a native of Fort Ord, California. She earned a Bachelor of Science from James Madison University and a Master of Public Health in Health Services Administration from San Diego State University.
She was commissioned and reported to Naval Hospital, Yokosuka, Japan, as an Assistant-Department Head, Patient Administration in December 1990. In 1993, she was assigned to Naval Hospital, Twenty-Nine Palms, California, as the Department Head, Patient Administration. In 1996, she served as the Executive Assistant to the Director, Medical Service Corps at the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Washington, D.C.
In May 1998, Swap reported to Navy Personnel Command as the Medical Service Corps, Junior Healthcare Administrator Assignments officer. In June 2000, she served as the Department Head, Health Services, Navy Support Facility, Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territories. Following that tour in July 2001, she was assigned as Officer In Charge, Boone Branch Medical Clinic, Little Creek, Northwest Branch Medical Clinic, and TRICARE Prime Clinic Chesapeake, Virginia. In June 2003, she reported as the Assistant Branch Head, Medical Assignments and Placement, PERS-4415A, Navy Personnel Command, Millington, Tennessee. In September 2005, she reported to Naval Hospital Pensacola as both the Director For Administration, and as the Executive Officer, Fleet Hospital Pensacola.
From April 2007 to April 2008, she deployed as an individual augmentee to the Combined Security Transition Command in Kabul, Afghanistan, as the Senior Healthcare Administrator-mentor for the Afghanistan National Army. In June 2008, she was assigned as Director, Special Assistant for Health Affairs, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Washington, D.C.
In April 2010, she served as the Deputy Commander For Administration at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland. From July 2011 to May 2013, she was assigned as the Executive Officer at Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. From July 2013 to June 2015, she assumed command of U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa, Japan. In June 2015, she reported to the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Washington, D.C., as the Liaison Officer to the Defense Health Agency. In January 2016, she reported to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations staff to serve as the Director, Medical Resources, Plans and Policy. From November 2016 to July 2020, she served as Commander, Naval Medical Forces Atlantic and as the Senior Market Manager of the Tidewater Military Health System. She is currently serving as the Director, National Capital Region Market.
Rear Admiral Swap is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. Her personal awards include a Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (two awards), Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal (seven awards), Navy Commendation Medal (three awards), and Navy Achievement Medal (two awards).
2022 Parade Emcees
Damian Trujillo
Since 1996, Damian Trujillo has been a NBC Bay Area News reporter, host and producer of “Comunidad Del Valle,” the longest running public affairs program in the Bay Area. Comunidad Del Valle now also airs in Spanish on Telemundo 48.
Damian is a recipient of the prestigious Emmy Award. He has also been honored with awards from the Associated Press, the Radio and Television News Directors Association (RTNDA), and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Damian was named "2004 Reporter of the Year" by the Associated Press Television and Radio Association for California and Nevada.
Damian grew up in Greenfield, about 2 hours south of San Francisco on Highway 101. While in high school, Damian worked in the agricultural fields of the Salinas Valley, with his family, to help make ends meet. He picked garlic, broccoli, cucumbers, and strawberries.
As a former farm worker, Damian now honors his first job, on the Cesar Chavez Holiday. Every March 31, Damian’s family hosts family, friends, and students. They make sack lunches at the Trujillo home and distribute them to roughly 250 farm workers in the South Bay. The gesture is a “thank you” to farm workers, for their tireless work. In addition, each year, the Trujillo family awards a college scholarship to the son or daughter of a farm worker in Greenfield.
In 2012, Carolyn Brown, professor at American University in Washington D.C., produced a half-hour documentary on the life of Damian Trujillo titled “From the Fields: An American Journey”. Damian screened the film at Stanford, Georgetown, and Harvard Universities, and at The National Steinbeck Center. In April 2013, the South Bay U.S. Congressional Delegation invited Damian for a special screening on Capitol Hill.
Damian and his wife Monica have a daughter, Malyna, and twins Isela and Michael Damian.
Lissa Kreisler
Raised in San Jose, Lissa was fortunate to begin and end a 40-year morning radio career in her hometown. The first ten years at KLOK-1170 and then 30 years at KBAY-FM. In 2015, she was honored to be inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame. She now has a show on KCAT-TV in Los Gatos called Community Storytelling. Always a lover of the community and Non-Profits, Lissa remains active as an Emcee and volunteer. But her favorite title is that of Grandma to four fabulous children, ages 6 months to 7 years.
Sal Pizarro
Sal Pizarro writes the Around Town column for the San Jose Mercury News, covering the valley's interesting people, places and events. He is also president of the Rotary Club of San Jose for 2022-23.
