On Friday, the 17th of May, approximately 600 combat wounded heroes will arrive in POC for a weekend they will not soon forget. In 2018, we added some pre-911 heroes to the mix and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves as well as the post 9/11 heroes enjoyed being with them. On Saturday morning, the 18th, 2 buses from Ft. Sam Houston, SAAMC (formerly known as BAMC) will arrive and all will head down to Froggies to board which we hope are 350 or so boats for a great day on the water.

When we began to accept applications for this year, online, we received over 1,000 in about 6 weeks. The applicants must scan in and send their DD214, which is a record of their military service, and we look at everyone. We are about up to 1,300+ as this is being written.

Applicants must be combat wounded and Purple Heart recipients are given priority. Then, the first timers, second timers and so on. There are fewer buses coming from San Antonio because there are fewer wounded than previous years. That is a good thing.

If one is interested in riding your bike with the troops, there will be a procession from Houston on Friday as well as Ft. Hood-that is if you get this in time. The Houston procession will stop at Prasek’s around 11am and the Ft. Hood procession will stop at Bucees in Luling around 9:30am. All buses on Friday are scheduled to arrive at the Warrior’s Weekend Field of Honor on May 17th around 1:30-2pm.

So, come on down to the big tent or Froggie’s to cheer the heroes on around 7:30-8am Saturday morning. If you park at the big tent at the Community Center, we’ll give you a ride down to Froggies. All boats must be in by 3:30pm so come down and cheer for the heroes and their catch. We weigh and clean every fish in our categories. If you’d like to attend the BarBQue awards dinner on Saturday night in the big tent, there will be limited tickets available for $15 each @ the Warrior’s Weekend stores. So, come shake a hand, give a hug and thank a combat wounded hero for providing the life you have today. This remains the biggest event of it’s kind anywhere in the world, right here in Calhoun County–Port O’Connor, Texas. The heroes will tell you they don’t get this much love and respect for their service and sacrifice anywhere else. As we like to say, “No Place But Texas”.

Ron Kocian, President Warrior’s Weekend

On November 25, 1943, S/Sgt. John William Ring, Army Air Corps/Air Force, of Virginia boarded a B-24 bomber. He was a gunner, taking part in a bombing mission. Upon take off from Pandaveswar Airbase in India, the plane crashed, killing all aboard.

He was buried at Camp Nelson National Cemetery in Nicholasville, Kentucky and the Amercian flag (48 stars) was presented to his family.

S/Sgt. Ring was the grandfather of Chuck Carter of Port O’Connor. For many years, Chuck’s mother displayed the flag in her Aransas Pass home. But in 1970, Hurricane Celia hit and the flag was lost. It was found later in a field without its display case. Dirty and wrinkled, it was packed away for many years, until it was given to Chuck.

Chuck had the flag cleaned, but did not know how to properly fold it. Mentioning this to Russell Cain, he was surprised to find out that Russell contacted the local Rotary Club, of which he is a member, and arranged to have the flag folded with honors by area Veterans.

On March 21, Rotary Club members; members of American Legion Post 167 and VFW Post 4403, representing all branches of the military; Marc Longoria, representative of Congressman Michael Cloud, and members of the media, gathered for a flag folding ceremony honoring Chuck’s grandfather.

The ceremony was conducted by American Legion Honor Guard Commander Ralph Belter and Chaplain, Reverend John Fisher. The flag was folded by VFW members Jesse Briseno and Fabian Balboa.

Some time later, Russell Cain had a wooden box built for the flag. Chuck was very appreciative for all that was done and now has the flag of S/Sgt John William Ring proudly displayed in his home.

The Port O’Connor Chamber of Commerce proudly announces the 7th Annual Crawfish Fest & Cookoff to be held on April 27 at King Fisher Park.  This is the Chamber’s largest fund raising event of the year and the event brings in approximately 3,000 people. We offer all of the following:

• Crawfish Cookoff
• Live music • Dancing
• Horseshoe contest
• Crafts • Food Vendors
• Raffles • FUN!!

The entry price is $5.00. Gates open at 10:00 am and close at 7:00 pm.  Coupons are sold for beverages and crawfish plates.  The price for crawfish will be $20.00/plate and beer tickets are $4.00.  Please no ice chests or dogs.

Entertainment begins with The Mudbugs Cajun & Zydeco Band. The Chamber is proud to have Bri Bagwell as the feature entertainer this year.  Bri was named Female Vocalist of the Year by the Texas Regional Radio Music Awards in 2013, and she received the honor again in 2014. In 2015, Bagwell released her second full-length album, When a Heart Breaks, including the song “My Boots,” which became a breakout single in Texas.  Her current album is In My Defense. Bri will be starting her set at 5:00 pm and will close out the evening at 7:00 pm.

Port O’Connor’s Chamber of Commerce’s mission is to promote business, enhance economic & community development and serve as a means for improving the overall quality of life in the community.

Please come out and support our mission, eat some crawfish and have some fun!

Dora Garcia, recently retired Calhoun County Election Administrator, was honored by the Calhoun County Republican Club at their monthly dinner, Monday, April 1. Mrs. Garcia received an engraved silver tray commemorating her excellent service to the county. Mrs. Garcia’s knowledge and tireless willingness to assist candidates, party officials, and poll workers, will be sorely missed by all. Best wishes to Mrs. Garcia and her family.

Friday May 17 – Sunday May 19

The 13th Annual Warrior’s Weekend is scheduled for the Third Weekend in May and preparations have already begun. It is The Tigrett Team’s Honor to be Volunteer Coordinators to locate accommodations for our wounded heroes and their families who Drive-In. This year, we are expecting at least 150 ‘Drive-In Groups’ amounting to 242 adults and 138 children. Many of our Heroes and their families drive great distances to enjoy the camaraderie, patriotism and most importantly, healing for those who have been wounded on the field of battle.

We are asking for your support to help provide lodging. To those who have answered the call in the past, Thank You for your contribution. The use of your home means so much to the Warriors, their families and our community. By providing lodging, you assist the families in remaining close to the scheduled activities and events.

Please respond as soon as possible. We have a lot of placements to make. If you have any questions, contact us at the number below. We look forward to hearing from you.

The Tigrett Team – Housing the Defenders of Freedom
Bill Tigrett
(361) 983-2671 – Office
(361) 920-2671 – Cell
bill@tigrett.com – email