Central Texas Minority Veterans Committee - CTMVC

06/14/2026

06/14/2026

The longest journey wasn’t to war—it was the silent, emotional flight home that changed everything forever

Inside a military transport aircraft, rows of young American servicemen sit strapped into narrow seats, finally leaving behind the place that had defined their lives for months or years. Some manage small smiles for the camera. Others stare forward in silence. Many are already somewhere else in their minds—between memory and relief, between survival and what comes next.

This was the “Freedom Bird,” the flight that marked the end of a tour in Vietnam. For each man aboard, it carried the weight of everything they had endured: patrols through hostile terrain, nights without sleep, sudden bursts of combat, and the constant awareness that nothing in the field could ever be taken for granted.

Unlike earlier wars, many Vietnam veterans did not return as units or formations. They came home individually, often without ceremony or public recognition. There were no organized crowds at airports, no unified moment of victory—just arrival, discharge processing, and a return to a civilian world that had continued moving on without them.

For many, the moment of landing in the United States brought a strange contrast. Relief and disconnection existed side by side. The war that had shaped their daily reality was suddenly distant, yet the memories remained immediate—loud enough to follow them long after the aircraft touched down.

The flight home was supposed to be an ending. For some things, it was. But for many veterans, it also became the beginning of a different kind of journey—one carried in silence, in memory, and in experiences that never fully stayed behind when the plane landed.

06/14/2026

🍎 The Central Texas Food Bank and the Austin VA Clinic are teaming up to serve in our community with a drive-thru food pantry!

📅 Friday, June 19, 2026
🕤 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
📍 Austin VA Clinic
7901 Metropolis Dr.
Austin, TX 78744

✅ Free for Veterans
✅ Please bring bags or boxes to carry your groceries

For more information, contact:
📞 Nutrition and Food Service: 254-743-0534
📞 Health Care for Homeless Veterans: 254-743-2179

06/14/2026

06/12/2026

Families of Veterans Lost to Su***de Push for 'Green Star' Recognition Read more in the comments. https://www.military.com/families-of-veterans-lost-to-su***de-push-for-green-star-recognition?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

06/12/2026

Why It’s “Women Veterans Recognition Day” – Not “Women Veterans Day”

On June 12th, we celebrate women Veterans and honor their incredible contributions, but it’s important to recognize the true meaning of the date and its official name.

June 12, 1948 marked a turning point in history: The signing of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act granted women the right to serve as permanent, regular members of the U.S. Armed Forces. That’s why we honor Women Veterans Recognition Day.

Today, and every day, let’s celebrate service, remember history, and continue to uplift stories.



Read and share: https://news.va.gov/147161/women-veterans-recognition-day-title-matters/

06/12/2026

Texas held more German prisoners of war during World War II than any other state in the nation.
More than 70 camps were scattered across Texas, holding tens of thousands of German soldiers while the war raged on across the Atlantic. Many of those prisoners worked Texas farms, harvested crops, and repaired roads. Some of them were treated so well that they wrote letters back to Texas after the war ended. A few even came back and settled here.
The same state that sent its sons to fight the Germans was feeding them three meals a day in Hereford and Hearne and Brady and dozens of towns in between.
Drop a Texas flag if you had no idea your town may have had a German POW camp nearby.

06/11/2026

Losing someone to su***de can bring feelings of grief, confusion, isolation, and unanswered questions. The Bastrop County Su***de Bereavement Support Group offers a compassionate and supportive space for adults who have experienced this type of loss.

Through shared experiences, understanding, and connection, participants can find comfort, hope, and support as they navigate their healing journey.

Monday, June 15, 2026
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
First United Methodist Church (400 Olive Street, Smithville, TX 78957)

This support group is free and open to adults seeking a safe, confidential environment to share, listen, and heal.

For more information:
📞 (512) 730-0091
🌐 www.smithvillecommunityclinic.org

Healing takes time, and no one should have to face it alone.

06/11/2026

Since the beginning of Pete Hegseth’s tenure as secretary of defense, some Black members of the military have “watched in dismay as a new administration has diminished and erased a proud history,” Clint Smith reports.
https://theatln.tc/y1WEKhzK

At the Pentagon, Hegseth has intervened to block or delay the promotions of more than a dozen Black and female senior officers. Some Black service members have quit or retired early in response to what they perceive as a newly hostile environment, Smith writes.

“It’s setting up a climate that perpetuates and protects wrongdoing,” Marc Brooks, a retired master sergeant in the Air Force, told Smith, citing a 2025 speech in which Hegseth told military leaders that it was okay to use profanity with subordinates or even to “put hands” on them. Listening to that speech, Brooks said, “sent shock waves to those of us that spent a career in our beloved military.”

Smith spoke with two dozen currently enlisted, civilian, and retired Black members of the military across the armed forces about what patriotism means to them, and their concerns about the cost of this administration’s actions for Black Americans more broadly.

📸: Nate Langston Palmer