EL PASO, Texas — A group of West Texas veterans received a $1.7 million grant signed by Gov. Greg Abbott as part of the Texas Veterans Commission’s Grants Across Texas Tour.
The grant aims to help over 1,800 veterans in the El Paso area when it comes to housing, transportation and family services.
The Rio Grande Honor Flight team set off to Washington, D.C. for Mission 22, where they will be surrounded by fellow veterans who reflect on the time they served. With the $1.7 million grant through the Texas Veterans Commission, the team said it’s nice to feel appreciated and worth investing in.
“It means a lot to be able to have the pride, and to be able to show that,” said U.S. Army combat medic veteran Debó Wakefield. “We take the uniform off, but our service is never done.”
What formed in Southern New Mexico and eventually expanded into El Paso, the Rio Grande Honor Flight team flew to the nation’s capital for its 22nd time, or for the vets, Mission 22.
“El Paso could not have their own hub because we were too close to them, and we didn’t,” said Elaine Prickett, the flight operations coordinator for Rio Grande Honor Flight. “They didn’t ask us what border we lived in, what state we lived in, when they went to war to stand up for us, and we were not going to ask veterans where they lived.”
For Marine Corps Vietnam War veteran and retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Alfredo Flores, this is his first time flying with this crew.
“I’ve been to D.C. before and seen most of those monuments,” said Flores. “This is going to be a totally different experience because I’ll be going along with other veterans where we can share stories, experiences of what we did, what happened to us, and so forth.”
Pickett said these Honor Flights are a source of healing for veterans.
“It’s not about seeing the memorials,” said Pickett. “What we’re really about is bringing closure and healing to these veterans that never got the homecoming they deserve.”
While the team is off to D.C. for a few days, veteran groups in West Texas received a split portion of a $1.7 million grant.
“I think it’s so important to support any area that has veterans,” said retired Col. Chip Osborne, the director of veterans services at the Texas Veterans Commission. “We should leave no veteran behind and their family members. These guys, you know, pay the ultimate sacrifice. By serving their country, going overseas. Some have done multiple deployments, and so we really need to make sure we take care of them. This is just one mechanism of being able to help take care of veterans out in the El Paso area.”
The $1.7 million will be distributed among several veteran organizations in El Paso. They’ll assist with veteran public transportation, financial assistance, treatment court, housing and counseling.
The 32 veterans who are part of the Honor Flight will be returning to El Paso International Airport on Saturday around 4 p.m. Guests are encouraged to line the streets with banners and signs welcoming home our vets.