Texas honors Marine Medal of Honor winners
Houston Chronicle: Seventeen Texas Marines who have received the highest military award are being honored with a monument. The inspiration for the Texas Marines Medal of Honor monument came from four retired Marines who shared a nearly half-century-old fruitcake and old war stories. On Friday, Marines in uniform and military supporters with flags attended a dedication ceremony at Town Green Park, where the monument stands. A heavy rain shortly before the ceremony couldn't disperse the crowd of more than 200 people who gathered on the soggy, green grass. ''I think the rain helped," said Tom Early, who spearheaded the project. "That really showed me that they really wanted to be at that dedication." With the sun breaking through the clouds, Early and friends Burt Cabanas, Jim O'Connor and Bill Leigh unveiled the monument after a flyover by Freedom Flight. The bronze and black granite statue with the official U.S. Marine emblem — the eagle, globe and anc...