Brownwood News – The Central Texas Veterans Memorial Committee will be placing a commemorative plaque at the Central Texas Veterans’ Memorial to honor Groner Pitts, the namesake for the “Groner Pitts Lifetime of Service Award” presented by the Brownwood Chamber of Commerce, namesake for the “Groner Pitts National Guard Armory” at Camp Bowie, and “Godfather” of the Brownwood Mafia. The plaque below recognizes Groner’s contributions to Brownwood and to the military.
[adrotate group=”8″]
The committee is also raising money to have the new UH-1 Huey helicopter refurbished and prepared for display at the memorial park. If you are interested in helping fund this worthwhile project, please forward your tax deductible check [501(c)(3) organization] to:
% Citizens National Bank
Box 1629
Brownwood, Texas 76804-1629
The community dedicated the memorial complex on Nov. 11, 2016, exactly 98 years since the end of World War I. Brown County residents who died during World War I are among the 259 honored at the Central Texas Veterans’ Memorial.
While the complex honors all veterans, special recognition is given to the 259 from Brown County who made the ultimate sacrifice from World War I forward. Brown County lost 39 soldiers in World War I, 198 in World War II, eight in the Korean War, 11 in the Vietnam War, and three after Sept. 11, 2001.
The memorial includes 12 granite tablets around a 75-foot diameter concrete circle. Specifically, the 12 tablets honor:
- All Veterans;
- Brown County’s 259 local heroes with individual names engraved on four tablets;
- Fighting 36th Infantry Division-Texas National Guard, which trained at the memorial site in World War II;
- Camp Bowie;
- Major General Fred Walker – commanding general of the 36th Division in World War II; the memorial represents all officers from Brown County;
- Commando Charles Kelly – The One Man Army, the first recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor in Europe in World War II; the tablet represents all enlisted men from Brown County, especially those who returned from all wars with post-traumatic stress disorder;
- Lost 36th Division Battalion in the Vosges Mountains of France;
- Lost 36th Division Battalion on Java; and
- Colonel Jack Bradley, Brownwood’s most decorated combat veteran.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});