Bastrop County Veterans Service Office

06/19/2026

We will also have a potluck sign-up sheet if anyone wants to bring a dish or dessert. The sign-up sheet will be on the bar; ask a bartender.

06/19/2026

Today we commemorate Juneteenth and celebrate that on June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston and enslaved people there finally received word of their freedom - more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.

(Image below: Abraham Linclon, Emancipation Proclamation: S.W Martin, N.P Judson Publisher, Louis Lipman Engraver; Creation Date 1864, Doc # 97534, Map Collection, Archives and Records Division, Texas General Land Office, Austin, TX)

06/17/2026

We’re looking for women veterans ready to make a difference 💙
Grace After Fire, in partnership with Wavy Health, is recruiting participants for an 8-week research study focused on improving mental health tools and care for women veterans diagnosed with PTSD.

✨ Share your voice
✨ Help shape better support systems
✨ Receive structured support along the way

If you’re eligible—or know someone who is—scan the QR code or visit:

🌐 www.graceafterfire.org/wavy-toolbox-pilot.html
📩 Contact: [email protected]
📞 832-769-6582

Let’s come together to strengthen support for those who served.

06/17/2026

Opinion: A GWOT Memorial Foundation founder argues in this op-ed that concerns over the proposed memorial extend beyond design and into organizational priorities.

06/16/2026

06/16/2026

06/15/2026

Women veterans, this Saturday is your opportunity to connect, reflect, and experience the healing power of horses in a supportive community of fellow women who understand the journey.

⏰ WVEP Workshop
📅 This Saturday
🕙 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

This will be our LAST Women’s Veteran Equine Partnership workshop until September, so don’t miss the chance to join us this summer.

Our equine learning and peer support programs are provided free of charge to veterans.

Click the link below to learn more and register:
https://www.restorationranch.org/womens-veteran-equine-partnership

06/15/2026

On this day, 57 years ago, June 15, 1969, 30-year-old Lieutenant Thomas G. Kelley commanded River Assault Division 152 in the Republic of Vietnam. He led a column of eight river assault craft extracting a company of U.S. Army infantry troops.

The boats navigated the Ong Muong Canal in Kien Hoa Province. Suddenly, an armored troop carrier suffered a mechanical failure of its loading ramp.

At that exact moment, Viet Cong forces unleashed intense fire from the opposite canal bank. The American column was trapped and could not retreat until the crippled boat was repaired.

Kelley ordered the disabled troop carrier to raise its ramp manually. He then commanded the rest of the boats to form a protective cordon around the vulnerable craft.

Knowing the extreme danger, Kelley took direct action. He boldly maneuvered his own command boat, a heavily armed river monitor, to the exposed side of the cordon.

This placed his craft directly in the line of concentrated enemy fire. He immediately ordered his crew to unleash their weapons on the Viet Cong positions.

An enemy rocket propelled gr***de scored a direct hit on the coxswain's flat of Kelley's boat. The explosive shell penetrated the thick armor plate and detonated.

The blast sprayed hot shrapnel in all directions and hurled Kelley to the deck. He sustained catastrophic head wounds, losing an eye and suffering massive trauma to his skull.

Despite his grievous injuries, Kelley disregarded his own condition. He was unable to stand or speak clearly into the radio.

He managed to relay his commands through one of his men to keep the formation intact. Kelley maintained absolute control of the division until the enemy fire was silenced.

Under his direction, all eight boats successfully moved to an area of safety. Only then did he allow himself to be medically evacuated by helicopter.

Interestingly, Kelley originally tried to join the Marine Corps before the war but was disqualified due to poor eyesight. He joined the Navy instead and went on to survive his severe combat injuries.

He underwent extensive reconstructive surgery. He petitioned to remain on active duty and successfully continued his naval career.

Kelley eventually rose to the rank of Captain. After retiring in 1990 with 30 years of service, he worked as a civilian in the Department of Defense.

He later served as the Secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services from 2003 to 2011. He also served as the president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

He's still with us today.

06/14/2026