Veterans Day is celebrated annually on November 11, and in Austin County, there are no shortage of events for veterans to attend and feel the community’s appreciation.
LOCAL CELEBRATIONS FOR VETERANS
Sealy High School will host a full campus assembly in their gym, followed by a meal and music from their choir and band. A guest speaker will be selected to give a speech and a patriotic presentation. The event is free for all local veterans and their families.
SEALY HIGH SCHOOL CELEBRATES VETERANS
“We do ask that our veterans RSVP so we can have an accurate headcount for seating and the meal,” Leslie Pacher, Student Council Advisor of Sealy High School said. “Our advanced culinary arts classes prepare the meal.”
VETERANS HONORED AT SEALY HIGH SCHOOL
Bellville High School hosts a similar event, but in the morning. Breakfast is provided, including donuts and coffee in their library. Afterwards, veterans are invited out to the football field for a recognition ceremony. A student will read a patriotic poem and story, and the high school band will play each military branch song in addition to The Star-Spangled Banner.
“We typically involve the entire school district,” Bellville High School Principal James Dristas said. “At the ceremony, we read each veteran’s name aloud. It’s a pretty cool thing.”
BELLVILLE HIGH SCHOOL VETERAN CEREMONY IN GYMNASIUM
Dristas also asks that veterans who wish to be included look out for a form that will be posted on the district Facebook page. The form is submitted to back to the school and the veteran will be included in the school program.
BELLVILLE HIGH SCHOOL VETERANS BANNER
But apart from Veteran’s Day, there are other resources and events available for veterans in the Austin County area. Veterans Service Officer of Austin County Wayne Cox has devoted most of his retirement to keeping veterans informed of legislation that impacts veterans, resources available, sharing stories of late veterans, and keeping veterans posted on upcoming events.
PANCAKE SUPPER
One popular event in the fall is the annual Pancake Supper hosted as Post 442 in Sealy, Texas. The event is gearing up for its 17th annual event, where the all-you-can-eat pancake supper, accompanied by sausage, syrups, and drinks, are offered to veterans in the area. Tickets are $10 for adults and kids five and under are free. To attend, mark your calendars for Friday, October 4th from 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
REMEMBERING EACH VETERAN HAS A STORY
Just as important as these events are the stories behind the veterans, according to Cox.
“When these veterans pass on, who is left to tell their stories?” Cox said. “It’s important that we learn about their service so that their legacy carries on.”
One veteran in Bellville shared his story with Cox, motivating Cox to write his story and share it with other veterans in the Austin County area, and with us.
WILLIAM “BILLY” JACKSON
William S. “Billy” Jackson, a veteran of the Army Air Corps, celebrated his hundredth birthday last year and showed no signs of slowing down.
Billy had been flown out of the states on July 3rd, 1944, just one month after the D-Day Normandy invasion. He was assigned to the Fifteenth Air Force, 456th Bombardment Group, 745th Squadron, where they were stationed at Cerignola, Italy.
Part of their mission was to manage strategic bombing missions to airfields, factories, refineries, and railroads throughout France, Italy, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Rumania, Hungary, Austria, and the Balkans.
On his 36th flying mission, Billy served as a nose gunner when they were hit, and the eleven-man crew were forced to bail out. A crew member on his team was Jewish and was fearful of what would happen to him in the hands of the German military. He asked Billy to help him if he should ever need it. Billy kept that promise, ensuring his crewmate bailed out of the downed plane so he would survive.
The crew was captured as prisoners of war and taken to Berlin, Germany for processing. On October 20th 1944, Billy’s twentieth birthday, he was transferred to Stalag Luft IV, a POW camp in Gross Tychow, Pomerania – which is now known as Tychowo, Poland. Hope didn’t arrive until January, when distant flashes of artillery could be seen.
Evacuation orders came weeks later on February 6th, and the POWs – approximately 6,000 of them – were sent out on foot n the freezing cold. Groups were divided into 250-300 prisoners and sent in different directions. Forced to walk all day, the prisoners would be herded into barns at night. For the lucky ones, the floor of the barns would be covered with straw, but the German soldiers would often withhold the straw, saying that the straw would be contaminated by the prisoners and become unfit for livestock.
The knee-deep snow weakened the prisoners; some died and were left behind. Other times, there would be the sound of a gunshot, and a German soldier would return to formation alone. The horrific march came to a stop in April along the banks of the Elbe River. The total endeavor consisted of 86 grueling days and 600 deadly miles. Many of the surviving prisoners started with a healthy weight of 150 pounds were reduced to near-skeletons at 90 pounds. Approximately 1,300 POWs died on the deadly march to nowhere.
Billy received his discharge papers on October 25th, 1945 and returned home to Bellville, where he married his wife Jeannette Mewis and enjoyed an amazing 64 years with her before her passing in 2011. Together, they share four children together: Stanley, Sherrie, Steven, and Suzanne, all of whom live near Bellville. Billy also became a doting grandfather to 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. A proud member of the Greatest Generation, Billy will never forget the sacrifices made during World War II.
“The men and women who were killed in action and 16,000 who died in prison camps, along with the MIA’s, is a very high price to pay for the freedoms we have today,” Bill said at a Veterans Address years ago. “Our Nation must never forget the great price these and other Americans paid so that we might live in peace and freedom.”
SUBHEADING: FREEDOM IS NOT FREE
And it is with these words that we remember the purpose behind the pancakes breakfast events, the patriotic songs, the discounts at local stores, and the day that is dedicated to veterans. There are hundreds of thousands of stories like Billy’s that never get shared with the world, and it becomes easy to forget the real sacrifices that were made in order for this country to enjoy the freedoms we have today.
Veterans have faced fears that ordinary citizens will never know. They have endured more pain and heartache than is often thought humanly possible. Their memories are often corrupted by the darkness and evil they have witnessed in the world of war, in the eyes of their enemies, and on the blood of their fallen comrades. Still, they endured these things for a sole purpose: to preserve the country they love and adore.
So, if you see a veteran and it’s not Veterans Day, still make it a point to thank them for what they did, because their sacrifice should never only be remembered on one day of the year, but every day of every year. Thank you, Veterans.
A VETERAN SALUTING DURING CEREMONY AT SEALY HIGH SCHOOL
By: Veronica Rector
Happily married to her geeky, Dungeons and Dragons-loving husband, Veronica likes to spend time with her two fur babies, visiting historic towns, and antique shopping.
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