by MARK WIGGINS @MarkW_KVUE
With signs and song, hundreds gathered at the Williamson County Veterans Memorial Plaza to pay tribute to those who gave all.
“We’re here to celebrate our veterans who have gone before us and the ones that are in the military right now,” said attendee Ruth Nash.
“They’ve sacrificed so much for us, and it’s our way of saying, ‘Thank you,'” Sandra Celis told KVUE.
Many in attendance were veterans themselves. Weldon E. Turner served under General Douglas MacArthur in World War II.
“He was a tall, handsome fellow, very reserved, fair to all people under his command,” Turner recalled of MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area during the war. “Very fair.”
At 97 years old, Turner is one of a special and rapidly dwindling number of heroes of the greatest generation. Nearly 70 years later, the memories still stir emotion.
“My friends didn’t come back, and I hear their whistle blowing,” said Turner. “I can hear it every day, if you know what I mean. I think of them. I miss them.”
“We stand in the presence of greatness,” Texas Governor Rick Perry told the solemn crowd in his keynote speech. Along with praising the service of American servicemen and women, Perry also praised Honor Flight Austin, a non-profit organization which flies Central Texas World War II veterans from Austin to the newly-opened memorial in Washington, D.C.
Read More at KVUE- “Central Texas veterans pay tribute to the fallen”
