thedrifter
05-26-07, 07:10 AM
May 26, 2007, 1:29AM
Monument sets pride for Texas Marines in stone
Monument pays tribute to 17 Texans awarded top military award
By RENÉE C. LEE
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
THE WOODLANDS — Seventeen Texas Marines who have received the highest military award are being honored with a monument.
The inspiration for the Texas Marines Medal of Honor monument came from four retired Marines who shared a nearly half-century-old fruitcake and old war stories.
On Friday, Marines in uniform and military supporters with flags attended a dedication ceremony at Town Green Park, where the monument stands. A heavy rain shortly before the ceremony couldn't disperse the crowd of more than 200 people who gathered on the soggy, green grass.
''I think the rain helped," said Tom Early, who spearheaded the project. "That really showed me that they really wanted to be at that dedication."
With the sun breaking through the clouds, Early and friends Burt Cabanas, Jim O'Connor and Bill Leigh unveiled the monument after a flyover by Freedom Flight.
The bronze and black granite statue with the official U.S. Marine emblem — the eagle, globe and anchor — and the Medal of Honor elicited a round of ''hoorahs" from Marines.
The monument, believed to be the only one honoring Texas Medal of Honor Marine recipients, is etched with the honorees' names, ages, hometowns and year of their act of bravery, all in gold lettering.
The honorees are Texas natives or enlisted in Texas.
The Medal of Honor is awarded to troops for their bravery in action against an enemy force. It can be bestowed posthumously or while the recipient is alive.
More than 3,400 military men and women have received the Medal of Honor, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
Of that number, 611 were awarded posthumously. The number of living recipients is 110, the society said. Four of them attended Friday's ceremony.
U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, a guest speaker at the event, told the four honorees that they are a reminder of what is right and good.
Medal of Honor recipient Col. Wesley L. Fox,of Blacksburg, Va., said he wears his medal for the Marines he led as a company commander in the Vietnam War. The Marines were just as deserving of the honor, he said.
The only reason they were not recognized, Fox said, is that two witnesses were needed to verify their bravery, a requirement for the award.
Several witnesses were either dead or had been transported for medical care, he said.
''It's a noble effort taking place here today," Fox said. "I'm pleased to be here."
The project's leader, Early, a retired economist, suggested the monument about two years ago during one of the four friends' annual gatherings to celebrate the Marine Corps' anniversary on Nov. 10.
The friends had their first celebration about four years ago at Cabanas' home, where they bravely ate a fruitcake he had saved from 1964 when he was in the service.
''We had heard all the war stories, and I did a little research on the Medal of Honor," Early said.
''I did a presentation. We sat around shooting the bull and finally said let's see if there are other monuments that just honored Marines in Texas."
Finding none, the friends let Early, who served from 1953 to 1961, take the lead on the project. He dug up information about the Texas Marines Medal of Honor recipients, met with sculptor J. David Nunneley and got the donations rolling in.
The group initially wanted to place the monument at the State Cemetery in Austin but did not get approval. The next choice was Town Green Park, a public park that opened about two years ago.
The friends, three of whom live in The Woodlands, received approval from the Town Center Improvement District's cultural arts committee and board of directors, which oversee the park.
The friends have raised about half of the estimated $200,000 they figured they would need for the monument. Many donations have been in-kind, Early said.
Pete Lummus, whose uncle, 1st Lt. Jack Lummus, of Ennis, is listed on the monument, watched the unveiling with pride.
Jack Lummus received the honor for his bravery as leader of a rifle platoon attached to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Marines, 5th Marine Division, in action against Japanese forces on Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands on March 8, 1945.
''I thought it was a great tribute," said Pete Lummus. "I was 11 years old when he was killed. I was very proud of him."
Leigh, a custom homebuilder who served from 1964 to 1969, said he hopes people learn from the troops' heroics, he said.
''In today's society everybody wants an immediate happy sitcom ending to every situation, and nobody wants to be inconvenienced by making a sacrifice," Leigh said.
"It's really cool to honor people like the 17 guys named on the monument who absolutely understood there are things worth sacrificing for."
renee.lee@chron.com
Ellie
Monument sets pride for Texas Marines in stone
Monument pays tribute to 17 Texans awarded top military award
By RENÉE C. LEE
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
THE WOODLANDS — Seventeen Texas Marines who have received the highest military award are being honored with a monument.
The inspiration for the Texas Marines Medal of Honor monument came from four retired Marines who shared a nearly half-century-old fruitcake and old war stories.
On Friday, Marines in uniform and military supporters with flags attended a dedication ceremony at Town Green Park, where the monument stands. A heavy rain shortly before the ceremony couldn't disperse the crowd of more than 200 people who gathered on the soggy, green grass.
''I think the rain helped," said Tom Early, who spearheaded the project. "That really showed me that they really wanted to be at that dedication."
With the sun breaking through the clouds, Early and friends Burt Cabanas, Jim O'Connor and Bill Leigh unveiled the monument after a flyover by Freedom Flight.
The bronze and black granite statue with the official U.S. Marine emblem — the eagle, globe and anchor — and the Medal of Honor elicited a round of ''hoorahs" from Marines.
The monument, believed to be the only one honoring Texas Medal of Honor Marine recipients, is etched with the honorees' names, ages, hometowns and year of their act of bravery, all in gold lettering.
The honorees are Texas natives or enlisted in Texas.
The Medal of Honor is awarded to troops for their bravery in action against an enemy force. It can be bestowed posthumously or while the recipient is alive.
More than 3,400 military men and women have received the Medal of Honor, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
Of that number, 611 were awarded posthumously. The number of living recipients is 110, the society said. Four of them attended Friday's ceremony.
U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, a guest speaker at the event, told the four honorees that they are a reminder of what is right and good.
Medal of Honor recipient Col. Wesley L. Fox,of Blacksburg, Va., said he wears his medal for the Marines he led as a company commander in the Vietnam War. The Marines were just as deserving of the honor, he said.
The only reason they were not recognized, Fox said, is that two witnesses were needed to verify their bravery, a requirement for the award.
Several witnesses were either dead or had been transported for medical care, he said.
''It's a noble effort taking place here today," Fox said. "I'm pleased to be here."
The project's leader, Early, a retired economist, suggested the monument about two years ago during one of the four friends' annual gatherings to celebrate the Marine Corps' anniversary on Nov. 10.
The friends had their first celebration about four years ago at Cabanas' home, where they bravely ate a fruitcake he had saved from 1964 when he was in the service.
''We had heard all the war stories, and I did a little research on the Medal of Honor," Early said.
''I did a presentation. We sat around shooting the bull and finally said let's see if there are other monuments that just honored Marines in Texas."
Finding none, the friends let Early, who served from 1953 to 1961, take the lead on the project. He dug up information about the Texas Marines Medal of Honor recipients, met with sculptor J. David Nunneley and got the donations rolling in.
The group initially wanted to place the monument at the State Cemetery in Austin but did not get approval. The next choice was Town Green Park, a public park that opened about two years ago.
The friends, three of whom live in The Woodlands, received approval from the Town Center Improvement District's cultural arts committee and board of directors, which oversee the park.
The friends have raised about half of the estimated $200,000 they figured they would need for the monument. Many donations have been in-kind, Early said.
Pete Lummus, whose uncle, 1st Lt. Jack Lummus, of Ennis, is listed on the monument, watched the unveiling with pride.
Jack Lummus received the honor for his bravery as leader of a rifle platoon attached to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Marines, 5th Marine Division, in action against Japanese forces on Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands on March 8, 1945.
''I thought it was a great tribute," said Pete Lummus. "I was 11 years old when he was killed. I was very proud of him."
Leigh, a custom homebuilder who served from 1964 to 1969, said he hopes people learn from the troops' heroics, he said.
''In today's society everybody wants an immediate happy sitcom ending to every situation, and nobody wants to be inconvenienced by making a sacrifice," Leigh said.
"It's really cool to honor people like the 17 guys named on the monument who absolutely understood there are things worth sacrificing for."
renee.lee@chron.com
Ellie