Cass County Veterans Service Office

Cass County Veterans Service Office We are here to serve veterans, their families, and surviving spouses.

06/12/2026

If the design is approved, the foundation is aiming for a 2027 groundbreaking and a project completion date of late 2028.

06/07/2026

Our 2026 theme draws inspiration from an unexpected source: a line from the film “Home Alone 2.” The quote, “Maybe they don't forget about you, but they forget to remember you,” underscores the importance of actively remembering the individuals who served, especially those whose stories risk being lost to time.

We want to hear from you: Who is an individual who served our country, but time may have forgotten? If you have a story to share, please click the link below to add it to our gallery.

https://app.memoryfox.net/story/wreaths-across-america/remember-me

06/02/2026

PTSD can affect veterans long after their service ends, but support is available.

During PTSD Awareness Month, we recognize the strength of those living with PTSD, encourage understanding, and remind veterans that they don't have to face it alone.

Joe Durham, a resident of Cass County, honorably served as a Rifleman in the United States Marine Corps from June 1970 t...
06/02/2026

Joe Durham, a resident of Cass County, honorably served as a Rifleman in the United States Marine Corps from June 1970 through October 1972. During his military service, he was stationed overseas in Okinawa and served aboard three different ships before concluding his service as a security guard at the Naval Weapons Station in Yorktown, Virginia.
On May 14, 2026, Mr. Durham suffered a stroke that significantly impaired the use of his right side. Following his release from the hospital, he was unable to safely access and use the facilities within his home.
On May 22, 2026, Mr. Durham’s daughter contacted the Cass County Veterans Service Office to inquire about available assistance and to inform the office of her father’s circumstances. That same afternoon, Veterans Service Officer Andy Cockrum met with the family to assess their needs and begin coordinating the necessary home modifications. Thanks to the swift response and coordinated efforts of all involved, the project was completed by May 26, 2026.
Special thanks are extended to Holland Construction for their outstanding work and rapid completion of this project for a local family in need. Appreciation is also extended to Andy Cockrum, who worked throughout the weekend to ensure that Mr. Durham would once again have access to his home’s facilities by Monday evening.
While similar assistance programs may be available through the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Cass County Veterans Service Office is often able to respond more quickly to urgent local needs through grant funding provided by the Texas Veterans Commission’s Housing for Texas Heroes Program. This funding enables the office to coordinate critical home modifications and other services that help veterans maintain their safety, independence, and quality of life.
Texas Veterans Commission

06/02/2026

Come out Vets so we can salute you!

06/02/2026

Big news for Texas veterans and their families.

Office of the Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Veterans Commission announced $40.8 million in Fund for Veterans’ Assistance grants, supporting 190 grants to 160 organizations across Texas.

These grants are awarded to nonprofits and local government agencies that provide direct services to veterans and their families. This year, the grants are anticipated to serve more than 125,000 veterans and family members statewide.

👉View the TVC grants directory: https://tvc.texas.gov/directory/directory-category/grants/

05/25/2026

Memorial Day is a sacred reminder that freedom has always come at a cost. This weekend, Americans across the nation will pause to honor the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. Here in Cass County, where nearly 10 percent of our population are veterans, that sacrifice is not something distant from history books or headlines. It is personal. It lives in our families, our communities, and in the names etched on memorials across our county.

Among those heroes are U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Sam T. Castle, killed in action in Iraq in 2005, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant John O’Neal Rucker, remembered as the last enlisted man killed in the Vietnam War. Their stories represent countless others from Cass County and across America who answered the call to serve and never returned home.

This Memorial Day arrives at a time when the world once again feels uncertain. Headlines from the Middle East, growing tensions among world powers, and ongoing conflicts abroad remind us that peace is fragile and freedom is never guaranteed. The men and women we honor on Memorial Day understood that reality. They stood watch in dangerous places so future generations could live in safety and liberty.

Six years ago, during the height of the COVID pandemic, our normal Memorial Day ceremonies were canceled. Yet even in that unusual season of isolation and uncertainty, it did not feel right to let the day pass without recognition. I still remember placing a wreath alone at the Veterans Memorial Plaza in Atlanta in 2020. There was no crowd gathered, no formal ceremony, and no band playing patriotic music. But the meaning of the day remained unchanged. The sacrifice of our fallen deserved to be remembered.

That is why it is especially meaningful to see our communities gathering together once again this year. The return of the Memorial Day ceremony in Hughes Springs is a reminder that remembrance matters and traditions worth preserving should never fade away.

Memorial Day is not simply the unofficial beginning of summer. It is a day of gratitude, reflection, and responsibility. We remember not only those who fell in battle, but also the families they left behind, the Gold Star mothers and fathers, spouses, children, and loved ones who carry that loss for a lifetime.

From Arlington National Cemetery to small hometown cemeteries here in Northeast Texas, rows of white markers stand as silent testimony to the price of liberty. These men and women did not seek war for its own sake. They served to defend the ideals of freedom, justice, compassion, and peace.

As we gather with family and friends this weekend, may we also take time to visit a memorial, attend a ceremony, place flowers at a gravesite, or simply pause for a moment of prayer and reflection.

Because the freedoms we enjoy today were purchased by Americans who gave everything they had for a country they loved. And for that, we must never forget.

05/25/2026

Cass County's Fallen Heroes of the Vietnam War

SPC Johnny Allison Gipson
SFC Gaylon G. Gipson
CPL Franklin Jack Lummus
SPC Clifford Nickleberry
CPL Robert Earl Richardson
SSG John O'Neal Rucker
SPC Rayford Neal Sewell
PO3 James Arthur Wall

05/25/2026

Cass County's Fallen Heroes of Korea

PFC Robert L. Childs
PVT Harold R. Liles
CPL Wayne W. McCasland
PFC Ray Edwin McDaniel
PVT Leoris Sasser
PVT David Daniel Steward
SGT Elton Welch
PFC Carl H. Zimmerman

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604 Highway 8 North
Linden, TX
75563

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