Seems like we're having a real Texas Summer for a change. it's been a few years since we've had such a long string of 100 deg days in succession; but that's all par for the course in Texas; and I'm sure each of us have all probably seen much worse.

There's not much to report, there's just not been that much Museum activity since we pulled out of Ridgmar Mall.  BTW, timely move as it turns out; the intel is that the new mall owners intend to turn it into one of those sprawling Data Centers; no room for a museum there.  Low OPTEMPO notwithstanding, there are tid-bits of Museum news that I can relate, so let's get to it.

Our new (old) Military Museum of Fort Worth (MMFW) headquarters (HQ) on Dorothy Lane is slowly taking shape, but still a ways from being ready to open.  I visited the location recently, and most spaces are still crowded with unopened boxes.  The exception is the room that will house the new Research Library.  There are already numerous shelves and bookcases in place, slowly but steadily being filled with the abundance of books we have, most of which, however, are still in boxes.  Our Vice-President Karen Garrison, and Volunteer extraordinaire Donna Kelly. are doing yoeman's work getting this thing set up, meticulously cataloging and categorizing the books as they are being shelved.  The process is slow but will pay off in the long run.  It's a huge task for just two folks, and they certainly could use more help; Museum Board Members are taking up the slack.  The research library will be the heart of the MMFW HQ, and Karen and crew want to get it right the first time.  Opening of the HQ facility still TBD.

Executive Director/Curator Tyler Alberts has constantly been on the lookout for a suitable new location for the Museum.  Rumors are that he has some good prospects.  Hope to be able to report some positive news in that regard next time around.

As most of you probably know, Special Projects Guru and Board Member Bill Leaf, has for a long time,  worked on a project to commemorate and shed light on the exploits of the Choctaw Code Talkers who participated in both World Wars 1 and 2.  Code Talkers were small groups of Native Americans who were assigned to combat units and used their native languages to communicate between friendly forces, thereby confusing enemy eavesdroppers and listening posts; a significant force multiplier in combat.  Most people know about the much-publicized Navajo Code Talkers, there have even been movies made about them, but not so much about the equally important role played by the Choctaw tribe.  Well, the efforts of Bill Leaf and other individuals and groups have finally paid off and go a long way to correct that lapse in recognition.  The City of Fort Worth has recently made this announcement: "Fort Worth Parks and Recreation, in partnership with the Texas Historical Commission and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, unveiled a Texas Historical Marker honoring the Choctaw Code Talkers.  The marker is in Veterans Memorial Park, 4120 Camp Bowie Blvd.  The ceremony recognized Choctaw soldiers who used their native language during WW I to transmit coded messages, giving U.S. forces a critical advantage."   The Choctaw have finally received their long overdue recognition and just deserts.  Thanks to the ongoing efforts of their supporters.  Great work, Bill.

John Furlow, MMFW board member and Treasurer, has submitted his resignation from those two positions effective immediately.  Major General John Furlow is a retired, distinguished soldier who once commanded the 36th Infantry Division and later became the Assistant Adjutant General - Army, for the state of Texas.  Being retired from the military, today he is a CPA and Attorney, owning an accounting firm and practicing law in east Texas.  He has long been associated with the MMFW and became a board member and Treasurer a few years back during a time when the need for his services were critical.  As a Board officer, he has unselfishly, and with distinction, provided those services for MMFW up to the present.  His letter of resignation cites the long distance from Fort Worth and its restrictions as the primary reason for his leaving at this time.  It's difficult to adequately express gratitude to someone who has worked so selflessly on behalf of the Museum, but we know that he will always respond when needed and is only a phone call away.

The next date for the OLD GUARD BUNCH luncheon is Friday, October 16 at the Golden Corral, 1:00 to 3:00 pm.  Wanita Lovell would love to see you all there.  Contact her at 817-992-4018, or lovellsfc@yahoo.com for more information.

The 4th Annual Camp Bowie Veterans Appreciation Day and Reunion will take place 19 September beginning at 9:00 am, at Bruner Chevrolet in Brownwood TX.  Plan on the entire day with food, entertainment, music, and dancing, with a moving location from Bruner's to the National Guard Armory in the afternoon.  To RSVP or for additional information, call Kerri at 325-998-1422.

911 THOUGHTS - The 25th Anniversary of the terrorist attack on 911 is upon us once again, and the oft-asked question reemerges: "do you remember where you were and what you were doing on that day when you learned of the attack?"  I think that's an easy one for most of us, but it was later, on learning the details and extent of the attack that we all were hit with the full impact of the event and what it would mean for ourselves and our country.  We couldn't know then that the events of that day would plunge our country into conflict and involvement in two countries, and throughout the middle east, that would last for 10 plus years, and that still reverberates to this day.  Here's my recollection.

On September the 3rd, 2001, I had just moved to Pflugerville, TX to take over as General Manager for the Austin branch of Empire Roofing.  So, I was eight days in my new office and at my desk on that morning when my receptionist, Lois, buzzed me and said that she'd just heard on the radio that an airplane had just crashed into a skyscraper in New York City.  I walked up front to her desk and together we listened as the news anchor announced, "Breaking News", then gave a very sketchy report of an aircraft crashing into one of the twin towers of the World Trade Center, and there was little else in the way of details.  I knew the airspace around the city was crowded with commuter and "taxi" flights of all kinds, and of several previous instances of aircraft crashing into skyscrapers; the more notable of which was during WWII when a B-25 medium bomber crashed into the Empire State Building during foul weather.  It all seemed at the time to be just another terrible accident, and I went back to my desk and back to work.  Throughout the morning Lois would feed me snippets of news about the incident, and it began to take shape that the crash was much more serious than first reported, and by the time the noon hour rolled around, it was apparent that something very serious had happened to the Twin Towers in New York City.  About this time, my boss had arrived from Fort Worth, and we left the office to go to lunch.  He didn't know any more about the incident than I did, and we turned our attention to things having to do with business and the purpose of his visit.

We were both still in the dark about events in New York City when we arrived at one of my favorite eateries in North Austin, a little-out-of-the-way mom and pop BBQ joint.  We walked in the front door and saw the man and wife owners standing in the middle of the room, mouths agape, tears streaming down their faces, staring at a large screen color TV on the wall.  They were practically in a state of shock, and though having opened up nearly an hour previous, they hadn't done a thing to prep the restaurant or the food to begin receiving customers; chairs were still stacked on the tables and the food was still cold in their warming trays.  When we joined them and looked up at the screen, for the first time, we could see the true extent of what had happened to the twin towers in New York and realized the magnitude of the catastrophe; real time images of the two largest buildings in Lower Manhattan New York, with huge gaping gashes in their exteriors, from which fire and enormous pillars of black smoke were pouring.  It was a catastrophe movie come to life.  Snapping out of it somewhat, the owner apologized and said that if we wanted to eat, we could pick something out and they would "nuke" it for us, but otherwise they were closing up and going home for the day.  He and his wife were obviously shaken and traumatized, and barely able to function.

 After an abbreviated luke-warm lunch, and an even more abbreviated business meeting, my boss hurried back to Fort Worth, and I returned to my office; but we didn't conduct much business the rest of that day.  Pondering the implications for me personally, I realized that in light of the fact that I was a Brigade Command Sergeant Major in the Texas Army National Guard, I would likely be very busy very soon.  I was right; within 24 to 48 hours, we had mobilized and stationed armed National Guard soldiers in all airports across the South and Southwest; at all public utility sites and infrastructure; at all federal buildings and property; and various remote military sites, in anticipation of continuations of wide-scale attacks.  It was literally an all-hands-on-deck situation.  And I knew that my cellphone would only continue to ring.

I closed the office early, and as I drove home that afternoon, I thought about my Mom, Dad, Uncles, Grandparents and all those who had been swept up by WWII and wondered what they had thought and felt on 7 December 1941, when they heard the news about sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. This must have felt something like that.  It was almost like an action movie in some far-away place that couldn't or wouldn't reach us.  But I knew it would affect us all in one way or another.  I remember that I was more stoic than excited about the entire thing.  I would save all that for later.  Right now, I just wanted to hear all the facts and would await developments.

I wasn't totally devoid of emotion, however.  Personally, I was pissed and wanted to strike back immediately; start bombing the hell out of someone, anyone, anybody who was remotely involved in this treacherous, cowardly attack.  I wanted to hit them hard and decisively and hurt them bad; whoever they were.  My head was spinning with the images and scenarios I imagined would take place in the coming days, weeks, and months, and I was resolved to do my part. Later, at home, I watched the towers come down; horrifying, sobering images that drove it all home; we were at war, whether we wanted to be or not.  That night I slept an exhausted sleep, with reels of images of what would come to be spinning through my head.

These are my personal recollections of the events of 25 years ago on September 11, 2001, that other day that will "live in infamy".  (c)2025

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 Upcoming editions of DOG TAGS will include a section of Book Recommendations/Reviews, and more stories about the service members MMFW commemorates.

NORTH TEXAS GIVING DAY for 2026 is September 17.  Go to www.northtexasgivingday.org and follow the prompts to submit your Tax-Deductible donation to Military Museum of Fort Worth.  THANK YOU in advance.

Visit our website at www.militarymuseumfortwort.org for Museum news and updates.

If you have any stories, news, or information you would like published in our newsletter, send to 1csmb@att.net.  I will review and respond to the sender.  No more than 3 typewritten pages, please.

out here

SOLDIERS STORY
The following is an excerpt from a draft of my unpublished memoir of my time in the military - Editor
TRADITIONAL SOLDIER* (c) 2026
CSM(r) Rodger W Brownlee
A personal Memoir - Excerpt

IRAQ - 2005
I was having a very hard time keeping my eyes open.  The hum of the air-conditioning unit right behind my head, the buzzz of the all-terrain tires on the pavement, the weight of my gear, and that bug-a-boo of all travelers, jetlag, all combined to weigh down my eyelids and cause my chin to drop to my chest.
A sudden hard jab to my right shoulder caused me to jerk awake; "Hey, Sergeant Major, wake up, watch your sector" boomed a voice over the cacophony of noise. I glanced to my right and saw the hint of a grin on CSM John Morgan's* face, but I could tell that he was dead serious; his arm was still extended toward me just in case.  He had just prevented me from committing one of the cardinal sins of soldiering; falling asleep while on "guard duty".  I returned his stare with a sheepish grin of my own, and we nodded to each other to acknowledge that I had received the message.
I turned to the left and stared out of the dusty 18-inch square of laminated bullet-proof glass and noticed that the landscape had changed from barren desert to a smattering of civilization; an occasional mud-brick dwelling, interspersed with random palm trees and clumps of brush; perfect hides for a roadside ambush.  As my brain cleared, the reality of where I was and what I was doing became crystal clear; I was in an up-armored HUMVEE gun-truck on my way to Baghdad Iraq.  Sergeant Major Morgan's rude awakening was a reminder that we were entering "Indian Territory", and that every single soldier in our small convoy had to be alert and do their part to ensure convoy security; Division Command Sergeants Major, no exception.  I reached with my right hand to my shoulder holster and ran it over the 9mm pistol I carried making sure that it and the two extra loaded mags were secure and in easy reach.  I then settled myself, now wide awake and eyes peeled, to gaze out at the alien landscape passing by just a few short yards away, on the lookout for any lurking Jihadis.

The realization that I was actually "on the Road to Baghdad" was sobering enough to keep me wide awake the rest of the way.  Sobering is an understatement; as the blackened hulks of destroyed vehicles, burned off chunks of asphalt pavement, and M2 Bradly fighting vehicles providing overwatch on the overpasses began to appear more frequently as evidence of my present circumstances.  I had a cold chill as my senses, now fully cleared and alert, took all of this in, and the facts were stark; I was in an active war zone without any front lines, in a convoy of five gun trucks armed to the teeth, seven months short of my 60th birthday and retirement from the military.  What was I thinking? I could get killed!  How did I get here?  I chuckled to myself at the absurdity of my train of thought, as I pondered my situation and the chain of events that put me on this highway halfway around the world from home.  My memory banks began clicking back a few years.....

To be continued.......

The "Old Guard Bunch" is an informal gathering of military retirees and their significant others who meet from time to time (there is no specific schedule) at the Golden Corral Restaurant at the address below to enjoy a good meal, renew old friendships, rehash our military memories, and just laugh and have a good time.

If you would like to be notified of up-coming get-to­gethers, or have any questions, please call or email Bill Abernathy at 817-401-9237 or Bill.Abernathy@sbcglobal.net or Wanita Lovell at 817-992-4018 or lovellsfc@yahoo.com. If no one answers the phone, PLEASE LEAVE YOUR NAME AND NUMBER.
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NORTH TEXAS OLD GUARD BUNCH

Meets at

THE GOLDEN CORRAL
3517 Alta Mere
Ft Worth TX (at Alta Mere and Camp Bowie)
817-377-1034

ALL SERVICES BRANCHES ARE WELCOME
(Remember, No Schedules, Membership or Dues, Just Good Fellowship)