By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Hundreds of Del Rioans attended a Thursday morning ceremony at the civic center to honor area veterans and pay tribute to their sacrifice and service.
County Veterans Service Officer Adrian Bitela welcomed those attending the event and served as the master of ceremonies for the event. He also outlined a history of the holiday.
“Veterans Day started as a day to reflect upon the heroism of those who died in our country’s service and was originally called Armistice Day. It fell on Nov. 11 because that is the anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended World War I,” Bitela told the crowd.
Del Rio Mayor Bruno “Ralphy” Lozano was the first speaker, following the posting of the colors by the Laughlin Air Force Base honor guard, a stirring rendition of the National Anthem sung by Robert Wade and an invocation by Martin Seca of the Living Stone Worship Center.
Lozano thanked all military members for their service and spoke about his father’s military service during the Vietnam War and his own experiences as member of the U.S. Air Force’s Security Forces.
Lozano drew parallels between the fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War and the fall of Kabul earlier this year as the U.S. ended its formal involvement in Afghanistan.
“For me, the fall of Kabul hit home like no other. It was a moment in my life when I related to my father in ways I never had before, and it hurt. It angered me, and it frustrated me, and it disappointed me, because I was there, and I had carried our fellow brothers and sisters who fell to protect this country. I was there, and I watched the convoys pass with their personal effects after they had sacrificed their last breaths for this country,” Lozano said.
His voice shaking with emotion, Lozano said, “Twenty years later, I am so grateful for them all, and it hurts, what happened to Kabul.”
He said many former members of the military don’t talk about mental health issues, including himself. He said for years he didn’t talk about his experiences, but told those present Thursday, “You’re not alone . . . Your sacrifices are not in vain, and the lives of those fallen soldiers were not in vain.”
Lozano encouraged all those struggling with mental health issues to reach out and get help.
“We’re all survivors. Don’t feel guilty for surviving something you had no control over, because I deal with that every day, but I know it was the right thing for me to do in my life,” Lozano added, at one point breaking into tears.
Lozano’s speech drew a standing ovation from the audience.
Del Rio Police Department Chief Frank Ramirez spoke next and said although he didn’t serve in the military, his late father was a Vietnam veteran.
Ramirez said his father was injured in the war, with one injury requiring the partial amputation of a leg. Despite this, Ramirez said, his father went on to raise a family and live his life.
“He made me the man that I am today, and I want to thank him for that and thank all veterans who went out there and had these struggles,” the chief said.
Val Verde County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. thanked Lozano and the other veterans for their service and said on Wednesday, his daughter, who is a third-grade teacher at Ruben Chavira Elementary School, told him the school’s third-graders had written thank you cards for the area’s veterans.
Owens handed the envelope filled with the handmade cards for veterans to Bitela and read some of the cards aloud.
47th Flying Training Wing Commander Col. Craig D. Prather was the event’s final speaker.
Prather began his talk by thanking a World War II veteran in the audience, Fidelio Vazquez, who served in Europe.
“None of our service members in the history of our nation have ever failed. There may be other decisions, other things that occur, policies may change, but none of you that are here today, none of our fallen sisters, none of our fallen brothers, or anyone serving actively around the world, has ever failed, and as the mayor said, their service is not in vain,” Prather told the audience.
“Today, on Veterans Day, we recognize our military veterans who have sacrificed, in war and in peace . . . We are here to honor the great men and women who proudly served this great nation, for they are the fabric from which our flag has been woven,” Prather said.
He said many veterans completed their military commitments only to continue lifetimes of service in their home communities as teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters and business owners and others.
“Whether they wear the military uniform today or wore it decades ago, veterans represent an unwavering dedication to our country and exemplify the highest ideals of service to our nation,” Prather said.
He noted that over the past year, Laughlin airmen have deployed across the globe to help allies in Afghanistan, to help vaccinate citizens in New York City against COVID-19 and to train 320 Air Force and allied pilots.
“To our veterans and our service members of all ages who have engaged in combat, stability, humanitarian or peacetime operations, we honor you. To those service members who have paid the ultimate price or who are still missing or unaccounted for, we honor you by remembering your sacrifices and the sacrifices of your families in service to this great country . . . On this day of reflection, I thank everyone who has ever worn a U.S. military uniform or supported those in uniform for their honorable service and for our freedom,” Prather finished.
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