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Bandera man leaves behind a legacyAs a youngster and teen, Samuel Jordan Bell, born in Crystal Springs, Miss., in 1931, could be found most days behind a mule and a plow on the family farm, where they grew primarily tomatoes and cabbage.
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Susan Junker: An industrious woman making an incredible mark in Bandera CountyIt’s easy to sit back, relax and simply enjoy the serene Hill Country, especially Bandera County. But this is far from the path Susan Junker has chosen for herself. With military experience, nonprofit management, speechwriting, public speaking, serving on various boards, and a run for county judge under her belt (to only name a few), there isn’t much the American Legion commander hasn’t attempted and accomplished with great success.
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Bandera County hires Veterans Service OfficerBandera County hired Mike Lauricella, U.S. Navy veteran, as its Veterans County Service Officer. He is located at 403 12th Street and can be reached at 830-460-1643. He takes appointments from Monday through Thursday.
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Silver Sage helps veterans with financial assistance programThrough the Veteran’s Financial Assistance Program, the Silver Sage can help eligible veterans, their dependents and spouses with one-time utility or rent/mortgage payments, providing food or certain medical services, and arranging transportation services.
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Veterans Voice
On this page, we are preserving the stories, and memories, of military veterans.
This is a place for service members to share their experiences in the most vivid, intimate way -
in their own voices.
Victor Strickland, USS Enterprise, Vietnam
Click to downloadVictor Strickland served two tours in Vietnam, from 1970-1974. He recently reunited with his USS Enterprise brothers Gene Beaudoin (Vietnam 1971-1975) and Lawrence Prazak (Vietnam 1970-1973), 50 years after serving together.
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Larry Jackson, USAF
Click to downloadUSAF Veteran Larry Jackson, of Bandera, comes from a family of military heroes, including his best friend, who was killed in Vietnam. He was recently invited to speak during the Juneteenth Celebration, and recited an excerpt from the Emancipation Proclamation.
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Dayton Whitehead, WWII
Click to downloadIn honor of Flag Day, celebrated annually on June 14, Medina Community Matters: Faith and Freedom paid special tribute to World War II Veteran Dayton Whitehead. He was presented a U.S. Flag and Texas State Flag, as well as a pin in commemoration of Women's Veterans Day. Finding it difficult to speak of his time in the military, he prefers instead to pay homage to all of his veteran brothers and sisters.
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Gary L. Noller, Combat Infantryman
Click to downloadGary Noller served as a Combat Infantryman from 1970-71 for 19 months and one day. Today, with a sense of humor, he recalls rainy days without food in the mountains and jungles of Vietnam.
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SGT John Perkins, USMC
Click to downloadJohn Perkins joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1966, beating the draft papers he later received while in boot camp. Within six months, he was in Vietnam, stationed in Da Nang. He served until 1970.
Attached proudly to his hat are the Chaplain Service pin, for his gift of prayer while his unit was under heavy fire; the National Rifle Association pin; and the Marine Corps pin. |
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MSGT Luis Estela, USAF, Ret.
Click to downloadWhile he shuffled a copy of his DD214 and some other paperwork, Luis Estela regaled a few stories of his time in the service, beginning with when he enlisted in the U.S. Military 70 years ago, when he was 18 years old. A distinguished career followed for the 88-year-old veteran, who served during both the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
Some of his decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with One Device, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Four Devices, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Air Force Conduct Medal with Four Oak Leaf Clusters, Small Arms Expert Marksmanship ribbon, Armed Forces Expenditionary Medal, NCO Academy Graduate Ribbon, Army Good Conduct Medal with Three Devices, Combat Readiness Medal with one Medal and the Air Force Longevity Service Ribbon with Five Devices. Estela retired in April 1980, after serving 27 years and 21 days active duty. He remained in the reserves for another three years. |
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John Parker, USMC, Ret.
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Archived Stories
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Warriors Heart presents flag to Silver SageWarriors Heart presented a U.S. Flag to the Silver Sage Hill Country Resource Center.
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Jud Ashmore joins Bandera County Centenarian ClubSay hello to the newest member of the Centenarian Club, local Bandarian Jud "Hug Someone" Ashmore, 100 years young!
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Boots Like MineThe Vietnam War brought new innovations in gear and equipment supplied to American soldiers. This included the UH-1 Iroquois “Huey” helicopter, the M-16 automatic rifle, and the M-1966 jungle boot. I experienced each of these during my tour in Vietnam.
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Remember Why on Memorial DayThere is much confusion about when the hotdog was invented. Was it in Vienna 500 years before Columbus sailed, or in 1811 by a German immigrant? There is much confusion about the hamburger, too. Was it the Texan Fletcher Davis in the 1880s, or Louis Lassen in New York who put the meat between bread? Hamburgers and hotdogs are a Memorial Day staple, but before you pull out the grill, take a moment to honor those who died to preserve that opportunity to freely celebrate.
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K-9 Veterans Day honors service dogs, past and presentNational K-9 Veterans Day is celebrated on March 13, the birthday of the United States Army K-9 Corps.
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Lakehills residents channel common love for aeronautics, build flight simulator training centerAfter a local USAF veteran opened his home to the international exchange program years ago, an unexpected friendship, turned mentorship, turned professional partnership evolved with a young dreamer who lived right under his nose. Now entering his sophomore year at the esteemed Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, the Bandera High School graduate returned to his Lakehills home and mentor this summer, and together, the pair built an authentic flight simulation training center.
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Petty Officer hops in the saddle for Bandera Veterans Day paradePetty officer Camron Aguirre rides in the Bandera Honors Veterans Day parade.
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Bandera and Lakehills American Legions team together to celebrate Veterans DayA crisp, chilly, and cloudy Veterans Day, much like the beaches of Normandy in World War II, greeted approximately 400 veterans, their families, and appreciative Bandera County residents, on the Bandera County Courthouse grounds to commemorate the 21st annual “Bandera Honors Veterans” Veterans Day Celebration, which began mid-morning on Veterans Day.
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U.S. Military Working Dog Teams commemorate national monumentThe U.S. Military Working Dog Teams National Monument 10th anniversary commemoration was held Oct. 27, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.
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Bandera ISD grad and Navy sailor mobilized to IsraelBandera native Tatiana Herrera Treviño has been mobilized on the U.S. Naval warship USS Roosevelt to the Eastern Mediterranean, closer to Israel, this week.
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When monuments come to life
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You’re in the Army Now!Wallace “Wally” Snyder, age 99, humbly shares his World War II service in the U.S. Army. As a jeep driver in a unit attached to Patton’s Third Army, he "did what he was told to the best of his ability.”
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Bandera production company honors the fallen
A project in the works by Will Jenkins, of Up Style Productions in Bandera, will feature Michelle Murray-Poczobut, of the American Legion, playing TAPS in honor of our fallen dogs and handlers.
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Bandera American Legion chaplain makes connection at Elephant SanctuaryChristopher Dion, chaplain with the Bandera American Legion Post 157, visits with Tom Smith at the Elephant Sanctuary in Fredericksburg. Smith is a USMC Vietnam War Veteran, and was part of the nuclear tests involving soldiers on the battlefield.
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World War II veteran and Medina native honored for Flag DayIn honor of Flag Day, celebrated annually on June 14, Medina Community Matters: Faith and Freedom paid special tribute to World War II Veteran Dayton Whitehead, 95. Medina Community Matters host Vicki Shroyer also celebrated the attendance of WWII Veteran Jud Ashmore, 99.
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Veteran recalls two Vietnam tours, fighting in the field and catching wavesStill proud of his long hair, streaked with blonde and white highlights, John Perkins is a man of truth and optimism. The Michigan native is a self-professed hippie, a Marine who received his draft papers while he was already in boot camp, and a surfer who caught some choice waves while serving in Vietnam.
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Bandera grad escorts U.S. general on Naval shipOn Monday, March 6, Bandera ISD graduate Tatiana Herrera Treviño escorted Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley onboard the USS Roosevelt during his visit to Naval Station Rota.
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My Memorial Day tributeAngel I just thought you might like to know that my great-granddaughter Mackenzie has decided she wants to learn how to shoot marbles. It would appear she has inherited some of that fire we had during those epic battles we waged on the schoolgrounds of St. Joseph's Catholic School so many years ago. I just hope I'm up to it.
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The Meaning of Memorial DayExcellent weather brought hundreds of viewers to the annual Memorial Day weekend parade in Bandera. It was a fitting way to greet the summer.
I grew up in Dodge City, Kansas. As a youth I do not remember Memorial Day parades. But my family observed the special day in remembrance of loved ones. My uncle, Fred William Noller, was killed-in-action on Okinawa, Japan, on April 9, 1945. Many years ago I was given an old cardboard shoe box with some mementos that were kept by my grandmother, Winnie May Moss Noller. One of the items was a tattered envelope with the words “save this” written in pencil on the back. |
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Bandera American Legion Riders join Run for the Wall Memorial Day RideThe American Legion Riders Post 157 were in Washington D.C. for the Run for the Wall Memorial Day Ride. The ride runs from California to Arlington and the Vietnam Wall to honor all of America's fallen.
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Freedom’s Garden
In fields once worked by slaves, now lie the first fruits of freedom. The very best of America's sons and daughters laid in rows as a sacrifice to freedom. Each one, like a seedling, sprouts a stone flower that bears the warriors name and the battle that he fought.
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San Antonio blacksmith helps veterans forge into the futureIn a little blacksmith shop near downtown San Antonio one can feel the heat of a 2,000-degree furnace and hear the sound of hammers hitting steel, reshaping what was left behind into something new, with a whole new purpose and new life. The place is the Caylor Forge, the program is called Reforged, and the amateur artisans at work are military veterans.
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Vietnam Veterans honored in BanderaThe American Legion Post 157 on Sunday invited and honored Vietnam era veterans and their families for a special meet and greet. Following a special pinning, refreshments were served - including C-Ration “Morsels,” resources were shared, and stories were told.
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A final Texas reunionOn the early morning of 5 May 2023, as the historic town of San Antonio began to rise in preparation for the celebration of Cinco De Mayo, a band of warriors journeyed southward to the Gateway of the Air Force for a celebration of their own.
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World War II Veteran honored in Lakehills
WWII Veteran Samuel Phillips was honored on Sunday by the American Legion Color Guard.
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