‘We love our country’: Veterans show celebrates those who’ve served

Published 10:53 am Monday, September 25, 2023

BULLARD – Texas military veterans and patriots viewed classic military vehicles, met Congressional Medal of Honor recipients and celebrated American values during the annual Texas Veterans Military Show on Saturday.

Three Vietnam War Congressional Medal of Honor recipients – Don Ballard, Michael Fitzmaurice and Robert Patterson – were among the event’s honorees. Also present were Desmond Doss Jr., son of the famed World War II medic depicted in the 2016 film “Hacksaw Ridge,” and World War II veterans Dr. Jack Hetzel and Tom Garner.

The event began Saturday morning with a parade from Stewart Funeral Home in Tyler to the show grounds at 655 S. Dr. M Roper Pkwy in Bullard. People of all ages lined the parade route, waving American flags at passing military Jeeps and trucks dating back to World War II. Two military helicopters – a Bell “Huey” and a Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight – flew overhead.

Wayne and Sharon Fourniquet watched the stream of green and camouflage-colored cars and trucks roll by the parking lot of a Dollar General along the parade route to Bullard.

“We love our country, and we respect and love our service people,” Sharon Fourniquet said.

Those sentiments were common among the attendees of the veterans show. The show kicked off with the unfurling of an 80-foot-long American flag, a rifle salute and a flyover by four military planes, including a Beechcraft B-25 bomber. Attendees also learned about the three Medal of Honor recipients and checked out the vintage military equipment on display.

Honoring Veterans

Event organizer Mike Balfay was emotional as he introduced the men who earned the nation’s highest military honor for demonstrating valor in combat.

“In the United States military, you do not win the Medal of Honor. You earn the Medal of Honor,” Balfay said. “No soldier goes to war to come back with medals. He goes to fight for his country and save his fellow man.”

Patterson earned the Medal of Honor as a U.S. Army specialist fourth class for charging into oncoming fire, destroying enemy bunkers and killing enemy troops on May 6, 1968.

Fitzmaurice, also an Army specialist fourth class, was in a bunker with other soldiers when three enemy grenades were hurled in on March 23, 1971. He threw two of them out and landed on the third one to protect other troops from the explosion. Seriously wounded and partially blinded, he left the bunker and continuing fighting enemy troops.

Ballard, a Navy corpsman second class, threw himself on top of a grenade to save the lives of troops around him. The grenade didn’t detonate, and he threw it into the air, where it detonated harmlessly.

Ballard spoke to the crowd, recognizing the veterans in attendance.

“Too often, we forget who paid the price, gave up the sacrifices for our freedom,” Ballard said. “It’s important for us to communicate that back to the civilians.”

Ballard encouraged the audience to remember fallen soldiers and vote for patriotic elected officials.

“God, country, family and the American flag – that’s what we’re all about is Constitution,” Ballard said.

Balfay also recognized Patricia Pittman, the widow of Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient Richard Pittman, and Doss Jr.

Balfay spoke to the audience about the sacrifice veterans make for the nation.

“Anybody that served is a hero, even if you weren’t on the battle front,” Balfay said. “These vets you met today were on the battle front. Anybody that joins the military during the war, knowing full well they’re going overseas – knowing full well they’re going to be shot at, there’s a good chance they won’t come back – that’s a very special thing.

“They don’t back down. They don’t complain. But what makes them special – they do not go to receive a medal. They don’t go to come back and be famous. They go because their country called them to go, and they stood up.”

Balfay encouraged people to thank troops and vote in-person for elected leaders who will improve healthcare for veterans. He also challenged the audience to reach out to veterans who may be struggling with mental health issues.

“Help these vets,” Balfay said. “What they’ve been through is hell.”

Preserving History

Military enthusiasts displayed decades-old military vehicles at the show grounds Saturday with a goal of preserving history.

Among them was U.S. Army veteran Robert Singer, who restored a 1945 Willys Jeep to match one his father drove in World War II – right down to the lettering on the side of the hood.

Singer found the Jeep in rough shape when he bought it in 1994. Now, it dons a fresh-looking coat of olive drab paint. An inert replica of a Browning machine gun is mounted in the back.

A red metal plate on the front bumper bears a star, the insignia of a one-star general.

“He retired in 1965 as full colonel,” Singer said of his father. “The next rank is general. He always wanted to get a star. So, when I restored this Jeep, I gave him a star. Cost me nothing – a little paint.”

The Jeep, Singer said, is an endeavor to educate people about the freedoms they enjoy in America.

“I think that, sadly, our schools don’t teach about history,” Singer said. “I think keeping these vehicles running – not static, not in a museum, but running – gets people’s attention and brings an understanding that they might not get if you look at a picture.”

Veterans were heralded during Saturday’s event. For some Vietnam War-era veterans like Singer, that kind of support is far from what they received when their service was over.

“Having served during the Vietnam War, people spit at me,” Singer said. “I was never in Vietnam, but I was in uniform. And people would spit at me, move away and stuff like that. So, the change in attitude that veterans are now respected and appreciated – that means a lot to me.”

U.S. Navy veteran Mark Smith echoed those sentiments. Saturday’s event was an opportunity to talk about history and civics, which more young people need to learn about, he said.

“When you have been in other countries and seen the degradation of those countries and what goes on, we are never so proud as veterans to make it back to America and stand foot on American soil again,” Smith said. “You don’t know how good you’ve got it here until you go to another country.”

Remembering the fallen

The weekend-long celebration of veterans began Thursday night when the Medal of Honor recipients arrived at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. It ended Sunday with the dedication of a memorial honoring the families of fallen soldiers.

Brook Hill School, a Christian school in Bullard, is now home to a Gold Star Family Memorial. Balfay and Ballard worked with the Woody Williams Foundation and local donors to create the monument, the first of its kind in the region, Balfay said.

Woody Williams was a World War II Medal of Honor recipient, and his foundation helps construct Gold Star Family memorials across the nation. The Gold Star recognition began during World War I, when families flew flags with blue stars denoting the number of family members serving in the military, according to the U.S. Army. If a loved one died, the blue star was changed to gold.

The memorial is meant to be a place where those families can gather and find support, Ballard said. He said community members should stand beside those who’ve lost children in war.

“This is a symbol that allows you to express your feelings and your concerns to the community and with God,” Ballard said. “All we’re doing is expressing love.”

Liz Bell, a local Gold Star mother, said the monument will be a place of solace. Her son, Army 1{sup}st{/sup} Sgt. Russell Bell, was serving in Afghanistan and was killed in 2012.

“I’m so glad to have this monument here,” Bell said. “Brook Hill has become a safe place for me to come out here on Sunday afternoons when I’m having a tough time and just spend time here.”

Balfay said the monument was created as a place for families to find hope.

“We did it with love and devotion,” he said.