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La Feria Commemorates Veterans Day
- Updated: November 23, 2018
Members of the U.S. Armed Forces stand firm during the Veteran’s Day ceremony in La Feria. Photo: Tony Vindell/LFN
by Tony Vindell/LFN
A solemn ceremony was held in La Feria to commemorate Veterans Day.
The event, held Sunday, Nov. 11, took place at the Veterans Memorial Monument Park, where area residents payed respects to the slain U.S. Border Patrol Javier Vega Jr., the late U.S. Senator John McCain and other past and present veterans such as Tommy De La Peña, a local U.S, soldier who has been missing in action from the Korean War and Juan A. Perez, a veteran who served in the South Pacific during World War II.
U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, BP agents, members of the Army and dozens of veterans, La Feria American Legion Post 439, the local high school color guard and many others stood for about two hours under a windy and cold afternoon.
Sunny Philip, the executive director with La Feria Chamber of Commerce, welcomed and thanked everybody for being there.
“Today is Veterans Day and it’s an honor to be here,” he said. “And an honor to pay respect to those who have served their country.”
Philip reminded the crowd about the names of those who have died and whose names are engraved in the benches and bricks used to make the monument that was done largely from donations from members of the community and from area organizations.
The chamber, also with the Veterans Memorial Monument Committee, organized and hosted the event.
A special recognition was given to Vega, a La Feria resident who was gunned down by a Mexican citizen on August 2014 near an irrigation ditch off FM 1420 in Willacy County just east of Raymondville, and to McCain, a Vietnam War veteran who died earlier this year.
Mr. and Mrs. Javier Vega received a U.S. flag which was folded by a Marine.
The slain BP agent served with the Marine Corps before joining the other federal agency.
Philip said the first two phases of the memorial monument park have been completed and it will soon get started on phase 3
For that, he said, more donations are welcome and invited people to write them a check if they wish.
During the ceremony, the committee received two donations for $2,500 each, from South Texas Engineering Market Development
Fund and South Texas Collaborative for Housing Development.
After the ceremony, those attending the event met on the patio of the chamber of commerce for refreshments.
