EDITOR DANIEL CLIFTON Bill McCartney walked along the outside edge of the HARTH Foundation’s covered arena. Spartacus, or Sparty for short, a 20-year-old bay Hanoverian warmblood horse, trailed just off his left shoulder. When Bill turned right, so did Sparty. If the horse didn’t follow, an instructor stepped in to get the two back in […]

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EDITOR DANIEL CLIFTON An hour of US Senator John Cornyn’s time meant the world to VetRide program director Sophie McCoy. (more…)

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STAFF WRITER JENNIFER FIERRO Service dogs rescue people. In the case of veteran Bobby Galyon, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, and his service dog, Rocky, the rescuing goes both ways. A Belgian Malinois, Rocky had been abused as a puppy. He was kept in a garage until he became part of Operation K9, which […]

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EDITOR DANIEL CLIFTON MARBLE FALLS — Things are taking shape at the Johnson Park Veterans Memorial as crews installed stone monuments and service branch flags, but officials say there’s still work to be done. (more…)

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FROM STAFF REPORTS BURNET — With only about half of the 8,000 veterans living in Burnet County registered for care and assistance through the Veterans Administration, two local organizations are teaming up to offer a course designed to bring a personal touch to helping veterans. (more…)

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STAFF WRITER CONNIE SWINNEY BURNET — In the face of concerns about tax contributions, a veterans advocate has defended two proposed state constitutional amendments aimed at providing tax breaks for veterans, fallen emergency workers, and their spouses. (more…)

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DANIEL CLIFTON and CONNIE SWINNEY • STAFF BURNET — As many of its current members age and not as many younger veterans join, the Burnet VFW Post 6974 faces an uncertain fate. “In the past several months, due to membership decline, we’ve been unable to put together monthly meetings, and per the requirements of the VFW, […]

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JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER MARBLE FALLS — To continue honoring those who donned a uniform for this nation, the Marble Falls Rotary Club is adding to the veterans memorial area at Johnson Park. The project will add flags from each of the five branches of the military as well as a Warrior’s Walk trail. […]

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CONNIE SWINNEY • STAFF WRITER MARBLE FALLS — When 29-year-old Ana Lowe, her husband, Josh, both U.S. Army veterans, and their toddler son began living in their vehicle, they realized they needed to find help. The family, which had rented a room in a house in Burnet, moved into their vehicle in August when the […]

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DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR BURNET — Despite the unpopularity of the Vietnam War among some people during the late 1960s, Burnet teenager Patrick Michael Goble didn’t see it that way. While he might not have fully understood the things that led to the war, he knew the importance of service to his country. (more…)

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JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF MEADOWLAKES — To the Meadowlakes Property Owners Association, Memorial Day is incomplete without its annual picnic. That event is 5 p.m. May 25 at the Meadowlakes Lakeside Park Pavilion — no matter what kind weather the area is experiencing. The event will be catered by Kingsland’s Spyke’s Bar-B-Que. The event […]

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DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR BURNET — In 1942, the country was in the middle of a war on two fronts against the Japanese in the Pacific and the Germans in Europe. Joining the military in 1942 pretty much guaranteed you a trip to either area — and one’s safety was not guaranteed. (more…)

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DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR BURNET — They were the men who took on the most challenging and dangerous operations: the U.S. Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets. (more…)

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DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR LLANO — Michael DeVerne Bird epitomized the role of “big brother.” As the oldest of six, Bird had a lot of eyes on him. “He loved fast cars and beautiful girls, but not always in that order,” said his brother Kelly Bird, who fell third in line as the children […]

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CONNIE SWINNEY • PICAYUNE STAFF LLANO — From the comfort of a handmade quilt and the fellowship of a meal to the stories of sacrifice and music of patriots, the Llano community will offer veterans and active duty military remembrance and gratitude for their service to their country. (more…)

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DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR MARBLE FALLS — For almost 65 years since its start, the Korean War was often referred to as “the Forgotten War” since many Americans simply overlooked the conflict. On May 1, that all changed for three Highland Lakes veterans and about 60 other Korean War veterans. (more…)

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DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR BURNET — While Kinsale, Ireland, and Burnet are thousands of miles and an ocean apart, they are linked by one thing: remembering those who died in the service of the United States. (more…)

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DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR BURNET — Even as she talks about the sacrifices men and women of the armed forces have made, Lily Garst chokes up. Her husband is a former Marine, and she’s connected with several other service members. On May 9, she’s opening her ranch, Garst Ranch, for Hearts and Heroes, a fundraiser […]

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DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR BURNET — Conway Laxson can’t recall the exact date he first laid eyes on a P-51 Mustang, but he knew he was in love with the plane as several streamed into sight across the Italian skies about 70 years ago. (more…)

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DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR SPICEWOOD — Conway Laxson picked up a box of doughnuts before his regular morning gathering Feb. 6 at the Spicewood Feed & Supply on CR 404. For Laxson and several other gentlemen, a morning just isn’t a morning without sitting in David and Nita Naumann’s feed store sipping on coffee […]

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World War II veteran Herschel Leon Pruitt, 89, of Kingsland was awarded the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Distinguished Citizens Medal, which was presented to him by Llano Uplift chapter regent Georgi Brochstein at a Jan. 24 meeting. Pruitt served aboard the USS President Jackson from 1943 to 1945. He piloted a Higgens boat, […]

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DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR KINGSLAND — Bill Lewis turns the lamp around a couple of times at the check-out counter. He examines several places on the lamp and makes his pronouncement. (more…)

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JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF BURNET — When asked what was at the top of the Burnet County VetRides program’s Christmas wish list, manager Sophie McCoy answered immediately. “Right now, I think our number one wish would be more drivers,” she said. (more…)

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DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR HORSESHOE BAY — As Gerald Powell lay in the road, only a few yards from a house full of German soldiers, the distinct sound of an enemy’s boots rang through his ears. The Germans boots had hobnails on the soles to make them more durable. But when a German soldier […]

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DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR MARBLE FALLS — When Cassandra Chambliss’ son was a Cub Scout, he and his troop would help lay Christmas wreaths on the graves of veterans at a local cemetery. “It was such an honor to be a part of something like that,” Chambliss said. But for some reason, the local endeavor […]

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DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR BURNET — As Bob Grant stepped off the ladder leading down from a North American P-51 Mustang, he was smiling like an 8-year-old boy who finds a model airplane tucked under the tree on Christmas morning. For Grant, a World War II veteran who celebrated his 95th birthday Oct. 30, […]

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