21/05/2015
Warrior Weekend Facts
Like no other event in the country for wounded veterans, Warriors Weekend started with some local Port O’Connor men talking about what they could do to honor our wounded veterans. The answer was to take them fishing. Beginning with 57 vets in 2007, the event has grown to over 950 veterans in 2015. The veterans come from military medical facilities all over the country. The attendees are nominated by their medical officer and approved by their commanding officer. WW volunteers visit the country’s military medical facilities and work with the local military personal to identify veterans for participation. Some are invited for a return trip. Each Veteran receives a T-Shirt, a fishing shirt, a hat, and a red lanyard for identification, among many other things. Family members have yellow lanyards. Volunteers have navy lanyards. Coordinators have red shirts and turquoise shirts.
The 3 day event is free to the veterans. Warrior Weekend finally hired its first paid staffer in 2015, a 20 hour a week person for fund raising. Participants are housed with local families and in area motels. Transportation from Houston’s 2 airports and other Texas cities is provided.
The main event is taking the veterans on a fishing trip Saturday. This year, over 450 local fishermen offered their boats and their time, gear, and bait to host a day of fishing on the bay. Captured fish are filleted and packaged to take home by volunteers.
Other events that are part of the weekend include:
• There is an honor guard of police, motorcycles and dignitaries leading the procession into Port O’Connor.
• Roads and towns place flags along the route; veterans are greeting by waving crowds on the route.
• There is a Field of Honor and Field of Tribute, visual reminders to honor those who have died and those veterans who are attending the event. Each flag represents a $40 donation in the field (and half price if they attend muster). All flags are labeled with names.
• This is the 4th year for the magnificent sand sculptures including the Wall of Honor, showcasing sand master artistry from a team of volunteer artists. This year’s sand castle used 200 tons of sand.
• This is the 4th year of offering free massage therapy by professionals. They are now each trained in dealing PTSD, service dogs, TBI and seizures.
• Night Fishing
• Kids Fishing
• Funnel cakes
Meals – the food is absolutely fabulous and mostly cooked on the premises.
• A fresh fried fish dinner with stuffed jalapeno shrimp wrapped in bacon Friday Night and a BBQ dinner on Saturday Night
• Breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday
• Lunch and goody bag for Saturday
• Homemade cookies, cakes, and brownies are brought to the community center from kitchens far and wide to be served to the troops at meals and in the hotels.
Veterans say that they “get to feel normal for a weekend.”
What did I do? I met Margo Benge (a massage therapist and national /state massage instructor) via my friend Rhonda Martin, another massage therapist who works the event. This year and last year, Margo has helped organize the massage therapy offerings for Warriors Weekend. Margo recruits therapists, cooks, coordinators, teaches a course to the therapists, and assigns their lodgings. She recruited me to coordinate matching the veterans to massage therapists.
See www.warriorweekend.org for more information about the event. If you are interested in registering to work as a massage therapist at the event, see: http://www.thecreatorschannel.com/warrior-weekend-project.html.
Note: The event is not affiliated with Wounded Warriors.
Jane L. Wood
May 2015
