The following article was submitted for publication by Potter County Republican Party Chairman Jim Lowder.
On December 20th, General Land Officer Commissioner George P. Bush met for lunch with 50 leaders of the Amarillo veteran community to discuss Texas veteran issues.
The General Land Office Commissioner serves as the Chairman of the Veteran Land Board, which supervises five programs for Texas veterans. Commissioner Bush updated participants with news of Texas veteran programs and answered questions before departing to visit the Ussery-Roan Texas State Veteran's Home and the VA Hospital on this official visit to Amarillo.
Attendees learned that only one in ten Texas veterans take advantage of the generous benefits offered to veterans by the state of Texas. Commissioner Bush's staff distributed informational literature from the Veteran's Land Board to those in attendance.
Veteran organizations represented include Volleys for Veterans, the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), American Legion, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Special Forces Association, Veteran's Administration, Texas Workforce Commission, and the Veteran Resource Center.
Pastor Glen Stocker (US Army veteran) gave the invocation, Blue Star mother Cathy Revell led the Pledge of Allegiance, Senator Kel Seliger led the Texas Pledge, and MOAA president Jim Lowder (Commander, USNR, retired) introduced Commissioner Bush.
Attendees were a virtual who's who of Amarillo veterans. Prominent veterans in attendance included Mayor Paul Harpole and Randall County Judge Ernie Houdashell, both US Army Vietnam veterans, Colonel Clayton Hoffman (US Army retired), Desert Storm veteran and co-founder of Volleys for Veterans, Major General Robert Dempsey (USAF retired), former Airport Advisory Board member, Don Sherman, American Legion District Commander, Justice of the Peace Richard Herman (US Army, retired), prospective VFW District Commander, and Sergeant Major Verlene Dickson (US Army, retired), director of the Veteran Resource Center, among many other community leaders.
The luncheon was organized by the Texas Panhandle Chapter of the MOAA and hosted by Dyer's BBQ on Kentucky, Kristi Dyer, proprietor.
