At a volunteers’ meeting last night (April 25) Ron Kocian, Chairman of Warrior’s Weekend, the event held annually to show appreciation to those wounded soldiers who have been fighting the War on Terror, thanked those who were there, but wondered aloud why the meeting room at Cathy’s Restaurant wasn’t filled to overflowing.
“These guys love coming to Port O’Connor; they look forward to it. It would be so great if more of the locals here would take a bigger part in making their visit as special as we feel they deserve,” Ron said.
Warrior’s Weekend is thought to be the biggest event of its kind in the U.S., and 300 soldiers are expected to participate this year. They will be coming from as far away as New York, and from as near as right here in our area, with 20 to 30 Crossroads Area wounded soldiers participating.
There are opportunities of all kind for our local citizens to contribute to the success of this event, held this year on May 20-21. Wednesday, May 18, will be the “Big Work Day” at the Community Center. Things to do include setting out around 6,000 flags, (one for each soldier who has died in the War on Terror), stuffing gift bags and decorating the big tent. On Thursday, help is needed to rig rods and reels for pier fishing and the Tournament that will be held at the Sanctuary. A lot of help is needed for the pier fishing, a very important part of the weekend for many of the soldiers. Although most get to go out on the Bay on Saturday, some cannot, because of their injuries, and others just want to get in as much fishing as they possibly can. Kelly Parks reports that although 99 boats have been promised for Saturday’s bay fishing, 75 more are needed.
Another thing that the soldiers love is to see the flags and decorations displayed to welcome them. The Warrior’s Weekend Committee is encouraging residents to decorate their homes and businesses and to install flags along the highway coming into town and all the way to the Fishing Center.
If you can help in any way, please attend the next Volunteers’ Meeting. It will be held on Monday, May 9, at 6:00 p.m. at Fisherman’s Chapel. Since it will be at dinnertime, you are encouraged to bring finger-foods/snacks to share with those at the meeting.
To learn more about Warrior’s Weekend, check their web site: warriorsweekend.org – and please attend the meeting on May 9th.
