Seguin Gazett - Memorial draws a crowd downtown

Seguin Gazette: Memorial draws a crowd downtown
By David DeKunder
The Gazette-Enterprise

Published September 24, 2006
SEGUIN — A packed courthouse square crowd was on hand Saturday to say one thing to veterans — thanks.

Grandparents, parents, sons, daughters, children and public officials came for the dedication of the Guadalupe County Veterans Memorial.

The memorial, which was made possible through the efforts of community and business donations, honors all veterans — living and deceased and current military personnel — who are from, grew up or have lived in the county.

The memorial has a pathway of bricks with the names of veterans and the branch of service they are or were in engraved on them.

Reading from a proclamation, County Judge Donald Schraub said the memorial would serve "as a great place of pride" for the area's veterans.

It was the county commissioners who allowed to the Veterans Memorial board of directors to build the memorial on the courthouse lawn.

Seguin Mayor Betty Ann Matthies said the memorial "commemorates the service, the valor and the sacrifice of the veterans, as well as all members of our community who are touched by the lives of a veteran and the effects of war."

For what they have done, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar said veterans have passed on a special gift to all Americans — freedom and liberty.

"There's an old saying that says if you do everything for yourself and nothing for anybody else, then when you die, everything dies with you," Cuellar said. "But if you give of yourself to the community, to the country as veterans do, then what you do is pass a very special gift — a very special gift from one generation to the next generation."

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