Photo by Lizz Daniels
(Seguin) — A powerful symbol of remembrance is coming to Seguin this Veterans Day.
The American Veteran Traveling Tribute which includes the 80 percent scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will be on display next week at Smokey Joe Williams Field located at the Seguin Events Complex. The event will provide visitors with a moving opportunity to honor those who have served and have sacrificed for our freedoms.
The traveling wall’s visit is being presented by Seguin’s Doug Herrle DAV Chapter 61. The event is part of a larger community effort to recognize local veterans and their families. That’s because standing alongside the Wall will also be the 5th annual Field of Honor, one of Seguin’s annual patriotic displays normally held along State highway 123 bypass.
Connie Ramirez, event chair for the Seguin Field of Honor® Committee, says the group was honored to join forces with the Guadalupe County Veterans Council which includes the DAV – the group assigned each year to head up the Veterans Day Ceremony. She says working together helps to support funding for the Wall’s visit, ensuring Seguin can provide this experience free to the public.
“They talked about how much the wall would cost to bring in and you really can’t do fundraising per say on the wall. You can’t charge admission or anything like that with the wall so we decided, you know what, we will go ahead and do a Field of Honor and the proceeds then, we will give to the DAV to help them defray the cost of that wall,” said Ramriez.
Ramirez says the opportunity to honor or remember someone with a flag is still available.
Plus, to the best of her knowledge, she knows of no other field of honor event that has paired up with a visit by the Wall.
“Flags can be sponsored or dedicated to members like the military, active duty, veterans, first responders. The flags this year are $35 to sponsor. We will tag the flags in the name of your loved ones and put them out onto the field and the flags will fly for the duration of the event and once the event is over, the flag is yours to take home and like I said, the proceeds are going to the DAV here in Seguin,” said Ramirez.
Each of the American flags will be proudly flying on 7 and a half foot flagstaffs.
Flags will remain part of the display from November 10 through November 15.
For more information on purchasing or dedicating a flag, or to learn more about sponsorship opportunities, visit the Seguin Field of Honor® Facebook page or contact Ramirez directly at 830-243-2872.