Greetings to all friends and fans of the Military Museum of Fort Worth as we present the Autumn, or Fall, edition of Dog Tags. I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of the Autumn season as much as I am. The leaves changing colors and falling from the trees, gathering pecans from the ground as the leaves crunch beneath your feet, the smell of wood smoke in the air as fireplaces are checked and prepared for the cooler days ahead, and the cool refreshing feeling of an invigorating early morning breeze. Not to mention all of the days of holiday celebrations that lie ahead.
Hope everyone is participating in our "Write a Museum Review" initiative. We have and are asking everyone to write a review of the Museum and post it to Facebook, Yelp, Trip Advisor, and other sites where people go to find out "what to do" with their free time, or when visiting from out of town. Many of our visitors came to us after reading reviews on-line when searching for "something to do" in Fort Worth. Word of mouth, or in this case, words of praise from previous visitors in the form of an on-line "review", is a powerful and useful form of advertising. By-the-way, this initiative is not a one-off, and there is no cut-off date or time limit, so we encourage everyone to write and post reviews as often as possible, and encourage their friends to do so.
On November 15, Military Museum of Fort Worth, will conduct our "Historical Camp Bowie Bus Tour". This tour will visit the WWI mobilization/training sites of the 36th Infantry Division, areas that now make up the West side of Fort Worth. For full details and to sign up for the tour, visit our website at www.militarymuseumfortworth.org, go to the menu bar at the top of the home page, and click on "Excursion Tour".
On 13 October, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps celebrated their 250th birthday. This comes on the heels of the Army's 250th birthday back in June with its celebratory parade in the nation's capital. The Navy's celebration was not as well publicized, nevertheless it took place over a period of a week in various cities on the east coast, primarily Philedelphia PA, and included the celebrated "Parade of Ships". As our shout out to the Navy, this issue of Dog Tags presents stories about landlocked sailors who provide vital services to the success of our Naval forces. HAPPY BIRTHDAY NAVY!
We are coming up on the Busy Holiday season, and the following are Holiday dates which coincide with Museum operations.
Please NOTE: by the time this issue of Dog Tags is published, some of these dates will have already passed. We present them here for your use and information.
- Friday October 31, Halloween - Museum OPEN
- Tuesday November 11, Veterans Day - Museum OPEN - Parade in Weatherford
- Saturday November 15, MMFW Bus Tour - Museum OPEN
- Thursday November 27, Thanksgiving Day - Museum CLOSED - Reopens the 28th
- Thursday December 25*, Christmas Day - Museum CLOSED - Reopens the 26th
- Thursday January 1, New Years Day 2026 - Museum CLOSED - Reopens the 2nd
Sailors in attendance from NR FLC Sigonella, NAS-JRB
September 13th, 2025, was a big day at Military Museum of Fort Worth for three U.S. Navy personnel. The Museum hosted NR Fleet Logistics Center Sigonella, a Navy Reserve unit stationed at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, as it promoted two sailors and presented an award to a third. The day's activities began with one sailor, Logistics Specialists (LS) 2 Xavier Hall being surprised by having his name called out and ordered to stand before the Commanding Officer, CPT. Ronald Ridgeway. He was being recognized for the hard work he had done during his Annual Training as a postal clerk assigned to one of Naval Supply Systems Command's (NAVSUP's) three aerial mail terminals (AMTs) strategically located across Navy Region Europe, Africa, Central (EURAFCENT). He worked in the Athens, Greece location; the other two are located in Rome, Italy and Madrid, Spain. In his two weeks there, he had made such an impact, that the leadership in Athens wanted to recognize him with a Certificate of Appreciation.
LS2 Xavier Hall is recognized by his CO, CPT Ronald Ridgeway
Next on the agenda, the promotion of LS2 Jennifer Quinones to LS1, and a new job as the Assistant Leading Petty Officer for the unit. She has been in the Navy almost twenty (20) years and this promotion not only means an increase in pay and responsibility but also allows her to remain in the service longer.
LS2 Jennifer Quinones is promoted to LS1
And finally, with his family from Minnesota in attendance, Lance Wesen was promoted from Lieutenant Commander to full Commander. This means he is no longer a junior officer and is ready to command his own unit.
CDR Lance Wesen and his family
Cake and refreshments were then served. As the Navy says, "Bravo Zulu" to everyone.
In the Navy, Logistics Specialists (LS) are responsible for providing exceptional customer service, operating financial accounting systems, managing inventories of repair parts, and general supplies that support ships, squadrons, and shore-based activities to include the Military Postal System. NR FLC Sig is the 150-member Reserve Component of NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Sigonella (FLCSI), which is located on Naval Air Station Sigonella (NASSIG), Sicily, Italy. Its mission is to provide integrated, synchronized logistic support to U.S. Naval, Joint, and Allied forces across EUCOM and AFRICOM, ensuring mission readiness in peace, crisis, and conflict.
Sailors attending Promotion Ceremonies
Taking the Oath from CPT Ridgeway
Dale Wagner, the author of the preceding article, is himself a Logistics Service Chief Petty Officer in the same unit. Dale is also a Board of Directors Officer for the Military Museum of Fort Worth (MMFW). His reserve status allows him to fulfill this role while at the same time fulfilling his military obligation, (not to mention working his full-time civilian job as a high-school social studies teacher).
Chief Wagner joined the Naval Reserves in 1997, and in December of this year, 2025, will have served a total of 28 years. On April 11, 2025, he re-enlisted for two (2) additional years which will give him a total of 30 years service at his retirement in 2027.
For his re-enlistment ceremony, Dale chose MMFW for the location. A contingent of sailors from his unit at NAS-JRB was in attendance, as was his Commanding Officer, Captain Ronald Ridgeway, who administered the re-enlistment oath.
All of us at Military Museum of Fort Worth are very proud of Dale as our only remaining active service member, and for all he does for the Museum, the Naval Service, and our country.
CONGRATULATIONS DALE!
Chief Petty Officer Dale Wagner and CPT Ronald Ridgeway
* For Dale Wagner's full Bio, visit our website at www.militarymuseumfortworth.ord and see our newsletter, DOG TAGS, 2023 Fall edition, "Board Member Spotlight". RWB
Gabrielle Fletcher, LTJG
The mission of the Sea Cadets is to build leaders of character. We believe this begins with honoring those who "stood up and wrote a blank check made payable to the United States of America for any amount up to and including their life." To this end, the Red River Sea Cadet Battalion in Gainesville, Texas has launched several meaningful "Veteran Appreciation Projects" that honor those who wrote that blank check.
Our first project supports Operation Gratitude and Veterans Day recognition. In the Summer of 2024, our cadets, with financial support from North Central Texas College,built and painted four replica post office boxes. We placed these collection boxes throughout Cooke County, resulting in the collection of over 250 cards, letters, andcoloring pages from community members. Operation Gratitude then distributed these heartfelt messages across the country and around the world to U.S. veterans, thanking them for their service on Veterans Day.
We are excited to announce that the cadets will once again be placing colection boxes throughout our community for citizens to participate (Oct 1- Nov 3). For our cadets, ensuring that veterans know they are seen and appreciated remains a top priority. While the cadets represent the future, they understand the debt owed to those who made past sacrifices.
You too can write a letter or card of thanks. Contact us on Facebook for more information @ Red River Sea Cadets.
Our second ongoing project began when we discovered that the Fairview Cemetary in Gainesville, Texas contained many veteran graves with no official record. This meant that during Memorial Day or Veterans Day, community members could only place flags on graves of veterans they personally knew.
At Military Museum of Fort Worth, ALL visitors are Very Important, and Very Interesting people in their own right. From time to time DOG TAGS will highlight some of these folks who add to the fabric of our mission of education by recognizing Veterans.
VIP visitor retired Sergeant Major Billy Jones
On Friday, August 29th, MMFW welcomed SGM(r) Billy Jones of Weatherford TX. SGM Jones retired from the Texas Army National Guard after serving 20 years in the 2nd Battalion (2nd Tank), 112th Armored Regiment of the 49th Armored Division. His career began as a tank crewman, and ended as the Operations Sergeant Major of the 2nd Tank Battalion.
SGM Jones comes from a large family of Parker County residents with a long tradition of military service. His Father and maternal Uncle were both WWII veterans, and both ended their careers as Master Sergeants as members of the 49th Armored Division, Texas Army National Guard. Until recently, there were numbers of cousins and other relatives still serving.
Among his other interests, SGM Jones has collected numerous artifacts from the latter days of the U.S. Army Calvary Corps, including riding boots, saddles and miscellaneous uniform items. (he has hinted that these items may become a future donation to MMFW).
Currently, Billy is the Manager of Lone Star Guns in Weatherford, Texas.
Editors Note: On a personal level, Billy Jones is an old Army buddy with whom I served for many years during the time I was a First Sergeant, M-day Ops Sergeant, and Bn Command Sergeant Major. He was full time, and taught me just about everything I know about the Orders process for Armor Operations, and my job as an Operations Sergeant.
Brett Quillin
Army veteran, Brett Quillin, visited the Museum on Friday, October 17th, as a man on a mission. The former Field Artilleryman with the 25th Infantry Division, was visiting on behalf of the Hood County Fallen Veterans (HCFV) organization. He spoke to our curator, Tyler Alberts, about ideas for displays for Hood County Veterans Day events. He was also searching for information on specific members of the 36th and 90th Infantry Divisions.
Brett started the non-profit organization to raise money, (as the organizations Mission Statement states): "To erect a monument on the historic (Hood Co) courthouse lawn to honor and remember the sacrifices made by Hood County residents who paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we know and enjoy today; so that all who live in Hood County, or visit Granbury, may see this memorial to these brave heroes; and, that the families of these fallen will know that their loved ones who never made it home, are not forgotten; and that future generations will know that there is a great cost that has been paid for our liberties". They were successful in their fundraising efforts, and on May 29, 2023, the new monument was dedicated.
The monument is inscribed with the names of 47 residents of Hood County who gave their lives in the "line of duty". The names include veterans from all branches of service, and range from an Army Private serving in the Spanish American War, to an Army Sergeant who served in the Global War on Terror.
Besides being an Army veteran, Brett Quillen is also a retiree from the U.S. Post Office after 31 years of service. He currently serves as the President of the Hood County Fallen Veterans Foundation, and is a Pastor in Granbury, Texas.
For more information, or to donate to this foundation, visit their website at hoodcountyfallenveterans.org
