(Seguin) — Texas Lutheran University this weekend will take special notice of a very deserving group of veterans.
In a collaborative effort with a number of organizations, the university this Saturday will be honoring all veterans in the Seguin community especially its Mexican American/Latinx Veterans from TLU.
Together, The Center for Mexican American Studies, the Mexican American Student Association (MASA), Jessica Anderson – director of first-year experience & student transitions, plus the local Veteran community are excited to present the first ever Día de los Veteranos de TLU y Seguin.
Dr. Cesar Silva, an assistant professor and director of the Center for Mexican American Studies, says the day long celebration on Saturday will be split into three events. The first he says is a lowrider and classic car show outside the Langner Hall parking lot located at 502 Prexy Dr.
“We are going to do a car show. We are going to combine it with a food truck. We are going to combine it with the Color guard from the DAV here in Seguin. The DAV and PTSD van(s) that they have are going to offer their services here. We are going to have a DJ playing music and then at the end of the parking lot, we are going to have some vendors, some local vendors set up from 3 to 6 p.m.,” said Silva.
Next on the list will be a formal proclamation observing TLU’s attempts to not only honor this particular group but all veterans in both the TLU and Seguin communities.
“Between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m., inside in our center for Mexican American Studies which is right next door to the parking lot, we are having a commemoration ceremony along with just honoring the history of the Vets and we are going to have some pictures that they have offered to us, some personal letters that they have offered to us — we are putting them up across the room just to kind of let the people know the long history that Mexican-Americans and Latin X and Hispanic veterans have played from this local area. Then, (Seguin) Councilman Joe Rea is going to come in and he is going to do the proclamation ceremony stating that from here on out, TLU is in full support of making the Saturday before Thanksgiving, ‘Latin X, Mexican-American Veterans Day here at TLU.’ We want to call it ‘Dia de los Veteranos de TLU y Seguin,’” said Silva.
Wrapping up the day will be a private and closed formal dinner for all veterans at Texas Lutheran University. He says this dinner will celebrate the Veterano graduates of 2023-2024 at TLU. Graduates will formally receive their Veteran stole and a gift bag generously donated by an anonymous fellow veteran.
The Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS) at Texas Lutheran University was established in 1971 to create new opportunities for service to the Mexican American community and to promote a greater understanding of the Mexican American experience.