Hunt of Heroes Parade Honors Wounded Warriors

SAN ANGELO, TX – Yesterday afternoon, San Angeloans came together to honor the wounded warriors during the annual Hunt for Heroes Parade, which took place along the downtown river trail.

Yesterday’s parade was a part of the annual banquet activities, in which 23 veterans from across the nation were invited. These men get the chance to enjoy a hunting weekend at local West Texas ranches.

San Angelo Support for Veterans orchestrates the event and parade every year. This year the 23 veterans—wounded warriors—will participate in a six-day hunt on seven local ranches. The ranches participating this year include Live Oak Springs, Cole Creek ranch, Freeman Pickett Ranch, Poverty Canyon Ranch, Duff Ranch, Mada Ranch, and Colby Howel Ranch. Kirk Cleere said that the San Angelo organization works with Lone Star Warriors' Chris Gill to select the veteran volunteers for the annual hunt. 

The Hunt for Heroes parade pulled out all the stops. Goodfellow Air Force Base had a big presence at the parade with several different branches of military marching between the TLCA, Lakeview, and Central High School marching bands. Sergeant First Class Jeremy Brown, who was attending the event for the first time, underscored how important this parade was for him personally. 

"This is a great experience for me (…) to see all the wounded warriors who have paved the way for me to come in," he said. "It’s just an honor to be here with them and see what they have done.”

The Lakeview JROTC came out to support the veterans by cheering and thanking the wounded warriors as the latter passed by in their golf carts.

Sylvia Dominguez and Tommy Navarro were two of the many bystanders watching the parade. As members of the “West Texas Royal Court Friends and Family,” both Dominguez and Navarro have been attending this event for the past 10 years. Their organization hands out U.S. and Texas flags at various events across West Texas; yesterday, members of the West Texas Royal Court Friends and Family were handing out flags to participants and bystanders at the Hunt for Heroes Parade.  

“I am just grateful for all that they have done for us,” said Navarro.

Tech Sergeant Ricardo Shields and Staff Sergeant Micah Franklin, who were like Sergeant First Class Jeremy Brown, first time attendees at the parade, felt equally honored. Tech Sergeant Shields was grateful to have had the chance to “come out and support the heroes who have sacrificed a lot,” and Staff Sergeant Franklin added that just meeting some of “the wounded warriors who fought for us is just an honor.”

Though the weather was at nearly freezing temperatures, the Hunt for Heroes Parade saw a big turnout in support of our troops. LIVE! would like to thank those who have served and are currently serving our country. We greatly appreciate all that you have done for us. 

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Correction: Added was more information about the local San Angelo Hunt for Heroes organization.