Armed Forces Appreciation Day 2025 is now history.
If you’ve seen the articles and pictures in the Houston Herald and Licking News last week, then you know what a hive of activity we had on May 17 at the Intercounty Electric Auditorium. There were 125 veterans registered and 350 meals served between 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., with our team from VFW Post 6337 and American Legion Post 41 providing a steady stream of hamburgers and all-beef hotdogs, served free of charge to all attendees.
Along with the support from Texas County Memorial Hospital and Texas County Health Department and the various local veterans’ organizations, we had some displays of military history from the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution (SAR-DAR) and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. We did our best to make sure veterans went home well-fed with answers to their questions and 12 of them with Morgan Silver Dollars from our ticket draws on the half-hour.
All of this could not have happened without our generous sponsors from all over Texas County. Thank you!
Texas County area veterans organizations
- Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 473 meets on the last Thursday of each month at 1800 at their Post Meeting Hall on Highway 63 north of Cabool.
- American Legion Post 559 meets at 1800 on the second Tuesday of each month at the VFW Post 6337 meeting hall in Licking.
- Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6337 meets each third Monday of the month at 1730 in Licking at their Meeting Hall on Main Street just south of Highway 32.
- Fleet Reserve Association Branch 364 meets at 1430 every fourth Sunday of each month at the American Legion Post 41 meeting hall in Houston. The FRA exists to serve all veterans and active-duty members of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard.
- American Legion Post 41 meets at 1800 on the second Thursday of each month at their meeting hall on the west end of Chilton Oil Company in Houston (just north of Pizza Hut). Changes to membership eligibility now allow U.S. veterans of all branches and periods of service to join the American Legion.
- Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7222 meets at 1800 on the first Thursday of each month at their meeting hall just east of Summersville.
Houston resident Robert E. Simpson is a retired U.S. Navy chief electronics technician who served from 1969 to 1990. Email gfjjkaa@gmail.com.