Another success for Warrior's Weekend in Port O'Connor, Texas

By Murray Montgomery
© Lone Star Diary

For the last four years, I’ve had the distinct honor of attending Warrior’s Weekend in Port O’Connor, Texas – it seems like every year there are more greeters and more wounded members of our military.

The event known as “Warrior’s Weekend” began in 2007 and it has grown every year since. It is a time of mixed emotions – sadness and pride. The sad part is seeing our brave heroes who’ve been badly burned; others missing limbs and some who are suffering from severe brain damage. The pride comes in knowing that we have these extraordinary individuals protecting our freedom.

Warrior’s Weekend is a time for those wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan to be treated to a day of fun, fishing, and relaxation. It’s a day when other Americans have the opportunity to shake the hand and give a hug to

people who’ve made terrible sacrifices so the rest of us can remain free.

This fifth version of the event was much the same as the last, wounded soldiers coming off the buses to thundering applause by hundreds of grateful people. Emotions ran high among spectators and the injured troops as well. As greeters mixed with the wounded, hugs were the order of the day, and there were many people with tears in their eyes – soldiers and spectators alike. Moms and grandmothers were seen hugging soldiers that didn’t belong to them, but on this day wounded heroes became part of their family.

For both the wounded and those in the crowd who attended Warrior’s Weekend for the first time, it was obvious that they didn’t know quite what to expect. The wounded came off the buses looking surprised when they saw hundreds of people waving U.S. flags or holding up welcome signs while loudly cheering them and thanking them for their service.

Some people in the crowd seemed to be astounded when they saw wounded female soldiers exit the buses, perhaps not acquainted with the fact that women serving in our military are also in harm’s way.

Immediately after departing the buses and spending some time with the greeters, the wounded soldiers were taken to boats that were furnished and manned by volunteers. Smiling faces were in abundance as the troops left the dock and headed to the bays for a few hours of fishing. One soldier said that events like this help take his mind off the reality of his wounds, at least for a little while, and lets him feel human again.

Warrior’s Weekend president, Ron Kocian, said that they had 13 buses with over 300 wounded individuals along with their families and caregivers. This year, a medical van was included in the convoy that brought the wounded from Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio on Saturday. Other soldiers were flown in earlier from Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and other Army hospitals across the nation. The number of wounded troops attending this year surpassed 2010 figures when there were 11 buses and around 200 military personnel.

As in past years, it seemed that the national news media was not in attendance. That is very sad because, with Memorial Day just around the corner, citizens of this country need to be shown that not only do many of our troops make the ultimate sacrifice and die for their country but there are others who have suffered terrible wounds, and they will have to live with these disabilities for the rest of their lives.

(Note: In the photo, top left, an unidentified soldier, with only one leg, arrives to the delight of the crowd at Warrior's Weekend in Port O'Connor, Texas, Saturday, May 21, 2011). In the picture, right, Shane Parsons claps his hands as he prepares to go fishing. Parsons lost his legs to a road-side bomb attack in Iraq. CLICK HERE to see our completed set of Warrior's Weekend V photos - Copyright Lone Star Diary