Wounded Warriors honored, featured at inaugural event

As Kerr County residents prepared to celebrate Veterans’ Day and local veterans, more than 400 people gathered at the Hill Country Youth Event Center with the goal of raising funds to assist “Wounded Warriors,” who carry the weight of their service to their country with them for life.

A new organization titled “Hill Country Gala” was formed starting about 18 months ago in Kerrville with the single purpose of “directly benefitting (the) Wounded Warrior Project.”

Last Saturday evening, the inaugural “Hill Country Gala” filled the Event Hall at the Hill Country Youth Event Center with patriotic support, applause, special guests, and fundraising activities including bucket raffles, a live auction, Wine Pull, a cash 50-50 drawing, and a seated dinner.

This event drew more than 400 people including special guests from the San Antonio office of the “Wounded Warrior Project,” the recipient organization for all the proceeds from Saturday’s event.

Ward Jones, president of Hill Country Gala, told the attendees that about 18 months ago, after he and wife Sherry had already been personally contributing to the Wounded Warriors Project, he visited the San Antonio offices and its staff, and was inspired all over again to “birth a new event, a passion and a commitment.”

This new “Hill Country Gala” was born out of that visit and decision.

On Saturday the first gala was held in Kerrville; and Jones told the crowd he and the new board were firm in their purpose of holding this annually and benefiting the same organization in their services to wounded warriors.

Program

Toby Appleton introduced himself to the crowd by his officer post and his “day job” in marketing at Schreiner University; and thanked Kerrville Fire Department for the large U.S. flag flying from the top of the KFD’s ladder truck outside the Event Hall.

Appleton said he served in the military for 21 years and retired in 2013.

“All military members write a blank check for their lives. And it’s our duty to show them our undying support – for their loyalty, duty, courage, and so many other values,” he said.

He also quoted the Army definition of “leadership,” saying it applies to all who give their commitment to military service.

Appleton introduced Dr. Charlie McCormick, president of SU, saying he was proud to call him “my leader.”

McCormick, on behalf of SU as “title sponsor” of this new event, said he was proud to be affiliated with this new project.

“Military commitment, to us, deserves our support for their commitment for life,” McCormick said. He re-defined what SU means by “liberal arts education” as “being for free people” and reminded the audience that SU has its roots in the original Schreiner Institute, a college-prep, military high school for boys.

He referred to their present Greystone unit on campus, and said they already are working on being intentional about education for veterans. But they plan to be even more intentional in working with vets in the future.

He said Appleton came to SU to attend college, after military service, partly responding to a challenge from his daughter; and graduated as valedictorian of his SU class.

“We couldn’t hire him fast enough,” McCormick said.

Jones and his committee extensively used large video screens on either side of the podium/stage to present added information.

He read aloud a congratulatory letter from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, commending this fundraiser and for benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project. Also presented were video greetings and congratulations from U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

“Among American men and women in the military, 1,350,000 have died in the service of the country since 1775; and 40,000 are still missing. About 1,500,000 have been wounded. And of those, tens of thousands returned with wounds that are not visible,” Jones told the crowd.

He asked all attending to rise and raise their glasses for a toast to all veterans and for all veterans.

Shawn Morgan, area director of alumni, Wounded Warrior Project, (San Antonio) Texas, told the crowd the organization has 26 offices across the nation and one in Germany.

He thanked attendees and said all proceeds would benefit the San Antonio office. He introduced other representatives attending from that office and said their staff was comprised of veterans including wounded warriors.

Morgan himself was in the Army in 2004 and served in Operation Freedom in Iraq. He was shot in 2007, treated and returned to his platoon. He said he shifted to the Army Reserves and was discharged in 2007.

All the parts of the program were interspersed with frequent short videos of veterans and their testimonies about war experiences and help they needed and sought when they returned home.

Morgan said he represents the Wounded Warrior Project now on a daily basis, and thanked Jones for his work and planning; after they had a brief conversation at the San Antonio office about Jones’ new idea.

“We learn from every wounded warrior that no veteran’s caregiver should go alone. Our services are free of charge. The warriors paid their dues on the battlefield,” Morgan said. “We have more than 21,000 in Texas who are registered ‘alumni,’ mostly in San Antonio and the Hill Country.”

Morgan said his team has hosted 254 events and gained more than 3,000 “engagements” from support groups to other galas.

“We support veterans getting treatments at Brooke Army Medical Center and the Veterans Administration facilities. We’ve placed 182 people in jobs. Our benefits teams have helped with disability claims totaling about $25 million.

“It takes communities, and each contribution, large or small, contributes to our services,” Morgan said, as he presented a plaque to Jones.

Veterans’ comments

Among the video comments, “wounded warriors” and family members described their battles with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, making comments such as “I had my fill of death and it left a hole in my life;” a son saying his father tried to commit suicide; a military and police veteran who after he found a spouse in another female military vet, then felt “the old Bill was gone.” “Bill” called the Wounded Warrior Project his “shield for life.”

One female veteran from the Mid-East conflicts said she heard all the time, “‘Women don’t serve on the front lines.’ I’m a woman; and I was a gunner on an armored truck.” She said when she returned in 2005, she had traumatic brain injury, PTSD, bad knees and migraines.

“I was introduced in 2009 to the Wounded Warrior Project, and they gave me tools I needed to fight for ‘my better self’.”

Wounded Warrior Project

representatives

Among the “heroes” at a designated table at the Gala were representatives of the San Antonio office, Mike Owens, Tim Horton and Shawn Morgan.

Owens served in the Marine Corps 2000-07; Horton also was in the Marine Corps 2004-14, and Morgan served in the Army 2004-2014.

Owens and Morgan said the San Antonio office was founded in 2010 near Interstate 10 and DeZavala Road, and now has about 60 people on the staff.

Their website is www.woundedwarriorproject.org.

Morgan said they started with education programs for the alumni, and added aid seeking benefits, and help with combat stress.

“We have about 165,000 veterans in our database, that were collected between 2003 and the present. About 60 percent of them are active at events or with our services,” Morgan said.

They were complimentary of this inaugural gala, but said such events are a small subset of their programs. They take warriors to dinner and sporting events, too.

“Sometimes family members contact us first, if a service member won’t get out,” Owens said. “They call us for support.”

New Gala organization

The Hill Country Gala has four officers and 11 other board members from across the Kerrville-area community. President Ward Jones was the emcee and ramrod for the event.

Other officers are Toby Appleton, vice president; Rebecca Williamson, secretary; and Jill Sadberry, secretary. Board members are Michael Anglin, Dwight McDonald. Lisa Winters, Brandon Baldwin, Richard Ferris, Walt Koenig, Andrea O’Neal, Nick Oprea, Carlina Villalpando and Justin Wagner.