Celebrate and honor veterans in Granite Shoals. The city is hosting the 2019 Veterans Celebration of Granite Shoals on Tuesday, November 12, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the City Hall parking lot, 2221 N. Phillips Ranch Road. Everyone is invited to “gather and honor the veterans” as well as the men and women […]

Read the full story

The group of 10 granite markers catches drivers’ attention as they travel Texas 29 through Bertram. These aren’t just any pieces of granite. Etched upon eight of them are the names of Burnet County veterans and service members. Another one pays tribute to the Challenger shuttle crew, who died January 28, 1986. The Burnet County […]

Read the full story

EDITOR DANIEL CLIFTON After Lori and Mike Greco spent their careers in the U.S. Army, retirement in the Highland Lakes could only mean one thing: relaxation, right? “We’re just not like that,” Lori said with a laugh. Mike nodded in agreement, adding, “We like to serve, just help.” The Burnet couple spent the better part […]

Read the full story

EDITOR DANIEL CLIFTON It’s hard to decide what to admire most about Curtis Raetz: the fact he flew some of the coolest U.S. Marine Corps helicopters ever or that, at the age of retirement, he went back to school to become a professional paramedic. The truth is there’s a lot to admire about the Spicewood […]

Read the full story

EDITOR DANIEL CLIFTON Melissa Hinojosa was 17 years old when she joined the Texas Army National Guard in 1997 — not much older than many of the students she now teaches in her Marble Falls High School biology classes while still serving as a lieutenant colonel. The two worlds might seem quite different, but Hinojosa […]

Read the full story

SENIOR WRITER SUZANNE FREEMAN Once a vibrant part of the community, American Legion Post #437 in Kingsland recently came close to permanently shutting down. The hall that held popular weekly dances and bingo games got a new lease on life when the LEGION Act became law in June. “We are now open to all our […]

Read the full story

SENIOR WRITER SUZANNE FREEMAN Activity at the already busy VFW post in Marble Falls cranks up several notches during the holiday season. Along with serving two free holiday meals to veterans and their families, VFW Post #10376 also distributes bright red poppies in honor of Veterans Day, November 11, which this year lands on a […]

Read the full story

SENIOR WRITER SUZANNE FREEMAN Separating bundles of Buddy Poppies recently at VFW Post #10376 in Marble Falls, Alan W. Martin III recalled time spent at the VA Hospital in Temple making the bright red, paper flowers. “It was a lot of long, solitary busy work,” said the disabled veteran from Marble Falls, “but it earned […]

Read the full story

BY DANIEL CLIFTON Burnet High School students and The Picayune Magazine have been connecting with veterans to bring their stories to the community. The November issue of The Picayune Magazine, which will arrive in mailboxes and on countertops in the Highland Lakes from October 29-November 1, features several stories about veterans, including profiles of individual […]

Read the full story

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 […]

Read the full story

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

Read the full story

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 […]

Read the full story

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…)

Read the full story

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…)

Read the full story

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…)

Read the full story

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, […]

Read the full story

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. […]

Read the full story

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 […]

Read the full story

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…)

Read the full story

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 […]

Read the full story

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…)

Read the full story

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…)

Read the full story

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 […]

Read the full story

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…)

Read the full story

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…)

Read the full story

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…)

Read the full story