This past May 19th, 635 wounded heroes from the War on Terror descended on Port Lavaca and Port O’Connor for a weekend of fishing fun & relaxation. We are always amazed that they still love coming so much and know that as they are already asking if they can sign up again now. This year we had them come from all over the country again including Hawaii and of course, Puerto Rico. You know they love it if they are willing to travel that far by plane and charted bus for a 5-6 hour fishing trip. We told the young man, a Purple Heart recipient from Hawaii, that we all want to go fishing there and his words were, “Sir, it’s not about that”. We know and understand that, but they do love the fishing as well as all that goes along with it.

Although we do have returnees, there were many new attendees this year and we always try to emphasize that. Approximately 25% of the attendees were active duty personnel but all have served in a combat zone. Those are our requirements. The military bases involved included Ft. Hood, Ft. Bragg, Ft. Riley and Ft. Carson. The other attendees are medically retired. Our selection committee scans their paperwork to ensure they meet our guidelines and the military installations do the same for us.
For the first time ever, Warrior’s Weekend hosted pre-9/11 wounded heroes at our big event and the ones who participated, loved it. So did the younger ones love being around and fishing with them.

Once again, Port Lavaca and Port O’Connor served as great hosts for our heroes. If you either attended the event or even drove by during the event, you saw a small army of volunteers making sure the desires and needs of our guests were seen to. It does take quite an effort to put the event on and our volunteers are up to the task. The Garrison Command Sergeant Major from Ft. Hood told us that in his 34 years in the Army, he has never seen or certainly been a part of anything like Warrior’s Weekend. That says a lot about the work our volunteers put into the event, including our boat captains. We never seem to thank them enough and I’d like to take this opportunity to do so again. This does not happen without you.

Also, our donors are great. This weekend costs a great deal to put on as you can well imagine. We just had our first fund raiser for next year this past weekend and so are off and running for Warrior’s Weekend XIII. It is unreal how the time flies. Our first fundraiser of 2019 will be at the Port Lavaca Muster on February 2nd. This was extremely successful this year and if you’d like to be a the part of a fun filled evening, please contact us about a sponsor table. We believe we will sell out again at the VFW in Port Lavaca.

As you celebrate your freedom this 4th of July, please remember that it is these heroes and they that went before them that provide that freedom. We should never forget that. So, thanks again to all, especially the fine folks of Calhoun County and mark your calendars for May 17-19, 2019 to host the heroes again.

Ron Kocian, President, Warrior’s Weekend
warriorswknd@yahoo.com 361-935-7414

Warrior Photos by Ann E. DuBoise

Thank You!
We’ve just experienced another wonderful Warrior’s Weekend in Port O ‘Connor. This event touches the hearts of many in our community, including the staff and friends of Tigrett Real Estate. This event, started more than 12 years ago by a group of local fishing enthusiasts, now provides a weekend of Fishing, Camaraderie, Bonding and Healing for our combat veterans and their families. Our task at Tigrett Real Estate has evolved from providing rental units to providing donated Accomodations for the veterans and families who drive in. Our ultimate goal is to provide the best quality housing available. This is accomplished by the generosity of numerous residential owners in our area who offer a guest room, apartment or even their entire vacation home to these heroes. We would like to take this opportunity to Thank Those who hosted or provided housing for our Heroes. This year we were able to make over 150 placements which accommodated over 350 people. Accomplishing this feat takes many volunteers who assist in the organization and physical placing of our heroes. Our Team includes; the Tigrett Real Estate staff, The Coastal Cleaning Staff, and many out of town and local volunteers. Thank You!