'We need to thank them': East Texas military show to welcome Medal of Honor recipients (2024)

Medal of Honor recipients, decorated generals, World War II veterans and active-duty troops will be honored Sept. 14 during an annual military festival in Bullard.

The ninth annual Texas Veterans Military Show, one of the largest military-related events in the region, kicks off that day with a parade. The show will give the public a chance to meet veterans, check out vintage military equipment and thank those who’ve served the nation, event organizer Mike Balfay said.

The parade is set to start at 9 a.m. Sept. 14 at Stewart Funeral Home, 7525 Old Jacksonville Highway in Tyler. Patriot Guard motorcyclists will escort the procession of military vehicles, fire engines, police cars and more, and military helicopters will fly overhead.

The parade will head south on FM 2493, turn left at Flint on FM 346 and proceed down U.S. 69 South until arriving around 9:15 a.m. at the show grounds, 655 S. Doctor M Roper Pkwy. in Bullard.

Opening ceremonies are set to begin at 10 a.m. with the unfurling of an 80-foot-long American flag and other traditional military rituals.

The show will include music, and lunch will be available. There is no admission fee for the event, which lasts until 4 p.m.

Dozens of military vehicles and aircraft will be on display.

Six service members who’ve received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor in combat, will be central to the day’s events. Those set to attend served during the Vietnam War. They are:

Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Donald Ballard, who threw himself on top of a grenade to save the lives of his fellow troops. He received the Medal of Honor in 1970 from President Richard Nixon. He achieved the rank of colonel.

Army Spc. 4th Class Michael Fitzmaurice, who continued fighting after being seriously wounded by a grenade explosion. He received the Medal of Honor in 1973 from Nixon. He rose to the rank of technical sergeant in the Air National Guard.

Marine Capt. James Livingston, who led Marines on a mission to save a Vietnamese village from enemy forces. He received the Medal of Honor in 1970 from Nixon. He rose to the rank of major general.

Army Spc. 4th Class Robert Patterson, who charged into oncoming fire and destroyed an enemy bunker complex. He received the Medal of Honor in 1969 from Nixon. He rose to the rank of command sergeant major.

Major Patrick Brady, who navigated a damaged medical helicopter through hostile territory to rescue wounded troops in Chu Lai, Vietnam. He received the Medal of Honor in 1969 from Nixon. He rose to the rank of major general and is one of the most highly decorated U.S. military veterans.

Pfc. Sammy Davis, who fired artillery rounds at enemy troops while wounded and risked his life to rescue his comrades across a river. He received the Medal of Honor in 1968 from President Lyndon B. Johnson.

The gathering of six Medal of Honor recipients in one place at the same time is a feat: The nation has 61 living Medal of Honor recipients. Since America’s founding, only 3,519 service members have received the commendation, according to the National Medal of Honor Museum.

The descendants of deceased Medal of Honor recipients also will attend, Balfay said. They include, but are not limited to:

Billy Sasser, son of Army Pfc. Clarence Sasser, who crawled through mud after losing the use of his legs to care for a wounded soldier. He received the Medal of Honor in 1969 from Nixon. He rose to the rank of specialist 5th class. Sasser was scheduled to attend the military show but died in May.

Desmond Doss Jr., whose father, a World War II combat medic, was the subject of the 2016 film “Hacksaw Ridge.” Desmond Doss Sr. was badly wounded but continued to rescue his fellow troops, lowering them down the side of an escarpment by himself.

Additional honored invitees include:

Cathy Wilson, daughter of Vincent Speranza, a veteran of the 101st Airborne Division who became known widely throughout Europe for filling his helmet with beer andcarrying it to wounded, hospitalized troops. Speranza received the Bronze Star and attended the veterans military show twice. He died in 2023.

Retired three-star U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Richard Carey, who earned the Silver Star and commanded pilots.

RetiredU.S. Army Maj. Gen. Việt Xuan Luong, the first Vietnamese-born man to become a U.S. general. His family came to the United States from South Vietnam in 1975. He served as commanding general of the U.S. Army’s forces in Japan from 2018to 2021.

Balfay said he wants people to line up along the parade route in groups and hold American flags. A number of churches and stores along the route have parking lots where people can park to view the procession.

People who have a vintage military vehicle and would like to participate in the parade should call Balfay at (903) 521-7971.

For him, honoring veterans is something Americans have a duty to do.

“These guys came back, and they didn’t receive the respect they should have when they came back from Vietnam,” Balfay said. “These people put their lives on the line for our country. We don’t do nearly enough to provide for them and take care of them as they get older. We don’t offer the housing opportunities we should. We don’t offer the quality medical care they deserve.

“Above all, we need to look them in the eye and thank them because a lot of them never got thanked.”