Travel
Veteran’s War Memorial Of Texas
By George Moore, F460576
The Rio Grande Valley of Texas is the winter home of thousands of “Winter Texans.” Because of the demo-graphic (military draft era) of these seasonal residents, many are veterans. Add them to the large number of veterans who are permanent residents, and it seems appropriate that what is arguably the most impressive veterans’ war memo-rial outside of Washington, D.C., is in McAllen, Texas.
The Veteran’s War Memorial of Texas was the dream of Col. Frank Plummer, U.S. Army (retired), who served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Not originally from south Texas, Col. Plummer quickly identified this area as the “most patriotic region of the country.” He also witnessed a growing concern that there was no memorial honoring past, present, and future veterans. This concern grew into a dream for a veterans’ memorial.
With the support of local business leaders and political, civic, and veterans’ organizations, Col. Plummer built a project committee. The committee secured a donation of 3½ acres of land from the city of McAllen, and then embarked on a $2.2 million fundraising effort and a 10-year design-and-build project.
Women in the military are among those honored at the Veteran’s War Memorial of Texas.
Although additions are already planned, the result is a most impressive memorial to our military veterans. The 1,300-foot circular perimeter is lined with 100 U.S. flags on granite pedestals. At the center is the 105-foot-tall black granite “American Spire of Honor.” The spire stands in honor, respect, and gratitude to the approximately 1.3 million American military men and women killed in our wars and conflicts.
Surrounding the spire are five pie-shaped sections, each representing a different era. They include All Wars, World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Within these sections are smaller areas dedicated to the American Revolution, Civil War, War on Terror, Medal of Honor Recipients, women in the military, and other related subjects.
Not only is the Veteran’s War Memorial of Texas an impressive memorial honoring U.S. veterans, it provides a lesson in the history of the country and is a somber reminder of the sacrifices American military men and women have made for our freedom.
Details
Veteran’s War Memorial of Texas
3129 Galveston Ave.
McAllen, TX 78501
(956) 631-2511
www.mcallen.net/veterans
App File
TV Time
Can’t decide which TV show to watch? Looking for that next binge? Want to track what you have already seen so you don’t start watching it again? Well, settle into your couch, pull up a blanket, and let these apps help you.
TV Time app
TV Time: The app has a whopping 8 billion episodes of 60,000 TV shows in its database. It provides a synopsis of the shows, tells where you can watch them, and describes what shows are similar. It keeps a library of what you’ve already watched and uses that input to make recommendations for new shows. It also lists what’s trending and can filter by network, genre, status, and other factors. Free on iOS and Android. www.tvtime.com
Hobi app
Hobi: The app offers detailed information about any show, a discover menu that lets you find new shows, and news releases and real-time notifications on upcoming shows. But what makes the app standout is that it keeps detailed statistics regarding your TV-watching habits in a stats menu. Free on iOS and Android. www.hobiapp.com
SeriesGuide app
SeriesGuide: Built on the TV show catalog TMBd, this app highlights shows with new episodes, has visual indicators so you can easily see episodes you’ve missed, and can integrate with Trakt so you can keep track of what you have watched. Free on iOS and Android. www.seriesgui.de.
Bookshelf
RV Hacks
Marc and Julie Bennett are no hacks at RVing, so they took their knowledge of best RV practices and wrote a book.
When Marc and Julie Bennett first began exploring the idea of trading their townhome for a motorhome, the bulk of their knowledge about the RV life came from a chance encounter they had at a pizza restaurant in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with a couple who were full-timers. They peppered the couple with questions, and then went home and dove into blogs, videos, and books to learn what RVing was like. Still, the extent of their knowledge would only fill a few pages of a book.
A lot has changed since then. Marc and Julie have been living life on the road for the past eight years, and in the process they have visited all 50 states, traveled more than 100,000 miles, and garnered enough knowledge to fill an entire book. So, they wrote one: RV Hacks: 400+ Ways To Make Life On The Road Easier, Safer, And More Fun.
Over the course of 227 pages, the Bennetts share their hard-earned expertise about issues such as driving, repairs and maintenance, camping, RV living, technology, and family life — all broken down into tidbit-sized nuggets of knowledge. For instance: Fill your tow vehicle with fuel before hitching the trailer, which will give you greater options on prices and locations, and you won’t have to try to maneuver your RV through a tight spot. Or, highlight the roads you’ve traveled on an atlas to remember where you’ve been and how you got there.
This one was painfully learned: Cut lengths of pool noodles and place them along the edges of your slideouts so you won’t bonk your head when accessing the bays underneath. Or, to avoid attracting curious critters, freeze your smelly trash until you can put it in a dumpster.
Not claiming to have a monopoly on RV knowledge, they also tapped the expertise of 21 fellow RVers and spread their tips and tricks throughout the book. The book with all the tips can be purchased through any bookseller, or digitally through Apple Books and Google Play. The Bennetts also are the authors of Living The RV Life: The Ultimate Guide To Life On The Road, available in print, digital, and audio formats.