HONORING THOSE WHO SERVED
HOW WE HONOR VETERANS IN AUSTIN COUNTY
e should all take a moment to remember the reason behind Veterans Day sales. It can be easy to forget the sacrifices made 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 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.
LOCAL CELEBRATIONS
Veterans Day is celebrated annually on November 11, and in Austin County, there is no shortage of events for veterans to attend and feel the community’s appreciation and respect.
Sealy High School will host a full campus assembly in the gym, followed by a meal and music from its 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.
“We ask that 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.” Bellville High School hosts a similar event, but in the morning. Breakfast is provided, including donuts and coffee, in the library. Afterwards, veterans proceed 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.” Dristas asks veterans who wish to be included in the school program to complete a form posted on the Bellville ISD Facebook page.
Beyond Veterans’ Day, other resources and events are available for veterans in the Austin County area. Wayne Cox, Veterans Service Officer of Austin County, has devoted most of his retirement to keeping veterans informed of legislation that impacts them, resources available, sharing stories of late veterans, and keeping them posted on upcoming events.
One popular event in the fall is the annual Pancake Supper hosted by VFW 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 and drinks, is 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. to 7:30 p.m.
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.
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, Romania, 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 was forced to 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 ever needed 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 in 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 German soldiers would often remove the straw, saying that it 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, and 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: 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 MIAs, are 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.”
There are hundreds of thousands of stories like Billy’s that never get shared with the world. So, if you see a veteran, and it’s not Veterans Day, ask to hear their experience and thank them for their service, because their sacrifice should not be remembered on just one day of the year, but every day of every year.
Thank you, Veterans.
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