In early August, Ron Kocian, founder of Warrior’s Weekend announced “The Parade That Never Was” would be held in downtown Victoria on Saturday, October 13, 2012 to honor Vietnam veterans. The parade’s purpose, which has been two years in the making, is to “Welcome home” Vietnam veterans and Vietnam Era veterans from Texas.

As I neared the downtown area in Victoria the streets were lined with veterans, organizations, bands, drill teams, car clubs, motorcycles, military vehicles and spectators. There was a huge crowd and for this being the first year to host this parade, its success was immediately evident.

“Thanks to all of you who participated and who love those who sacrifice and risk their lives in our military,” said Sherry Kocian. “Freedom is not free and none of us will ever forget it or those who fight for it!”

A sea of red, white and blue could be seen for blocks. Cheering, clapping and ‘thank yous’ echoed down Main Street. It was truly touching and as I teared up, across the street from me I could see others just as emotional.

As the veterans passed by, the crowd would begin to clap; to my left there was a gentleman who didn’t skip a beat. “Thank you,” he yelled proudly. “Thank you.” It brought smiles to the veterans as they turned and waved.

Banners with ‘We Love You, Thank You for Your Service’, and ‘We Salute You’ could be seen everywhere. A group of cheerleaders chanted, “USA, USA, USA!” One particular sign struck me like a ton of bricks: ‘Korean War Veterans, The Forgotten War Remembered’.

Kocian’s goal was to make a difference; I’m certain he accomplished his mission. The parade lasted two hours and was followed by a luncheon for the veterans, their families and Gold Star Families. There were over two hundred participants with organizations from Victoria, Port Lavaca, Seadrift, Port O’Connor, Edna and the surrounding area.

For more information about the Parade That Never Was and Warriors Weekend visit http://warriorsweekend.org. On behalf of everyone here at the Dolphin Talk, I’d like to say thank you to all of our veterans, in addition to servicemen and women, past and present.

Parade Photos by Jasmine Gordon

Veterans’ Day – November 11 – We Honor Our Veterans!

“Proud to be a Port O’Connor Woman” ladies participating in The Parade That Never Was.

Dear Dolphin,

First I want to send a sincere “THANK YOU” for your last issue, honoring our Vietnam Veterans . Secondly, I want to share with your readers a heartwarming story about a group of “PROUD TO BE A PORT O’CONNOR WOMAN” ladies who had the good fortune and privilege to participate in the “ PARADE THAT NEVER WAS “ .

Our journey began in early September when Nickie Lowry, one of the Warrior’s Wives of Warrior’s Weekend invited our group to join the parade. We didn’t have to give it a lot of thought before we agreed to enter. Many in our group are “Baby Boomers” and extremely emotional and sentimental in regards to all veterans, especially our Vietnam Veterans. Many of us experienced first hand what happened to those men and women during those turbulent times in America. We totally agreed with the Warriors Weekend committee, the honor and welcome home was way over due.

Joy (a Port O’Connor Woman) and Charles ( Joy’s husband) Fryou offered their Shoalwater boat and SUV to pull it. Charles drove the SUV and did an awesome job as chauffeur and navigator. The boat is just perfect for decorating. I ordered 2 banners with a huge American flag background , with large letters that read “PORT O’CONNOR WOMEN HONOR & SALUTE OUR VIETNAM VETERANS!”. With an abundance of patriotic decorations left from the VIP float of the POCIFT parade, we managed to create a beautiful entry to show how we honor, salute and love our Vietnam Veterans.

Joy, Emma and I were excited about our entry. We wanted to show the world how much those veterans mean to us. Joy submitted our entry form and we were number 66 in the parade of more than 200 entries. The parade took place in downtown Victoria and started at 10:00 A.M. We had to be at the staging area by 8:30 A.M. , which meant we must leave Port O’Connor no later than 7:30 A.M. I posted invitations to all the P.O.C. women in our group to please join us for this most rewarding and honorable event.

As it turned out, October 13, 2012 was one of the busiest Saturdays of the year. In Port O’Connor, there was a 5-K run, in Port Lavaca, the Calhoun County Fair Parade and Russell Cain’s birthday golf bash and in Cuero, the annual Turkey fest. Many of our ladies were out of town, working , or had other commitments. We refused to drop out, even though our group was small, WE KNEW WE COULD MAKE IT HAPPEN. We sincerely felt that Port O’Connor needed to be represented. So…………………. Off we went!

Joy Fryou, Emma Raby Alice Reed, Claudine Covarrubias and I were a small group, but with great big hearts and spirits. We arrived in plenty of time to decorate and get prepared. What a team! We wore our “PROUD TO BE A PORT O’CONNOR WOMAN “ T-shirts and waved American flags with all our hearts.

There are no words to express the feelings we had as we progressed down Main street in Victoria. There must have been 10,000 people to watch and join the parade. Hundreds of Veterans from every branch of the service. There were some veterans from Korea and WWII as well. Hundreds of young soldiers , from every branch of the service came out to honor those brave men and women who had served in troubled times before them. We all started getting “goose-bumps” and teary-eyed before we actually started. Once we were in route, right there among the veterans, we were all crying. We had the opportunity to thank them and salute them. We told them we loved them. We got the warmest reception I have ever experienced! There were families who had lost loved ones in the war with pictures of their relative, knowing their loved ones were finally receiving the homecoming they so well deserved. When our entry arrived at the viewing stand where Ron and Sherry Kocian and several dignitaries were viewing and describing the entries, Ron thanked Us for being there. He also said he knew there were several other events scheduled on that day, and they appreciated us coming out. But, we all agreed we should THANK THE WARRIORS WEEKEND COMMITTEE for inviting us to take part in one of the most memorable events of a lifetime.

I could go on and on, but I realize you have limited space. I just want to Thank everyone who participated, and thank those who ALLOWED us to be there. We will never forget it. And……. Most important, THANK YOU AGAIN… VIETNAM VETERANS.

Nancy Pomykal

Proud to be a Port O'Connor Woman! Thank you, Veterans!

Halloween

Well that time of year has come again where we can let ourselves be a little more spooky, dress up as almost anything from a vampire (no sparkles please) to a zombie to a witch and not even get any funny looks as you walk down the street.

It’s Halloween time of course and if you’re like me, a confirmed Halloween junkie, then this is your time of year.

The holiday is frequently thought to have originated from the Celtic holiday called Samhain, which was a festival to celebrate the harvest that takes place during the Fall season. The day would eventually be transformed by a variety of changes, such as the name Halloween itself which was at one time referred to as All Hallows Eve, the night before a celebration of saints.

Ultimately however Halloween brings the end of the warmth and light of the Spring and Summer seasons (obviously the ancient Celts, had never visited the Gulf Coast, which is still quite warm at this time of year) and begins the darker half of the year as the ancient peoples geared up for the hardships of the Winter ahead.

As for it’s more ghostly trappings, Samhain was, like the festival held on the first day of May called Beltane, a time when the veils between the worlds of the living and the dead were thought to be at their thinnest.

Disguising your identity by dressing up in a costume was thought to be one way not to draw the attention of the more evil of the wandering spirits.

While the exact origins of the custom of Trick or Treating are unclear, it was in some form or fashion a way of gathering food and treats from neighboring houses, be it to feed the village during a feast cooked on the Samhain bonfires, or to appease the spirits let loose on Earth for the night.

Jack-O-Lanterns were also designed to protect one from evil spirits, but when the Irish made them, they made them from turnips, not pumpkins.

Want some more interesting facts about Halloween?

• Despite a morbid tone and roots in Pagan custom, Halloween is actually the second highest grossing holiday, bested only by Christmas.

• If you find yourself cowering in a closet or hiding under the bed until the first day of November arrives, you are not alone. The condition is an actual named phobia and it is called Samhainophobia.

• Curious about your future husband, ladies? Halloween legend states you can either hang a wet sheet in front of a fire or stare into a mirror at Midnight on Halloween to see your future partner.

• In one form or another, Halloween celebrations are over six-thousand years old.

• Halloween candy sales are estimated as one quarter of all candy sold in a given year, with almost two-billion dollars of the sweet treats being sold.

• Want to throw a ‘killer’ party? Halloween is the third largest party day of the year behind New Year’s Eve and Superbowl Sunday.

Although Halloween has it roots in a varied mixture of customs and traditions from festivals and Christian holidays, it has certainly become a holiday that haunted its way into the hearts of the American people.

So, there you have your interesting Halloween facts, I hope you, wait, I never heard you say Trick or Treat…