In the News

Over 200 people attended the Night of Courage banquet at the MCM Elegante Hotel in downtown Lubbock on Friday evening to honor Medal of Honor and Purple Heart recipients. The late Medal of Honor recipient and Texas Tech graduate George O’Brien was honored during the banquet, which also helped launch a fundraising effort for a new memorial to honor area Gold Star Families and Purple Heart recipients. U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock, praised the event for bringing together Medal of Honor winners from across the country to pay tribute to O’Brien. “You can never do enough to honor our veterans,” he said. “It’s important that we continue to do events like this so that we can remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe and free.” Steve Oien, commander for the Chapter 0900 Military Order of the Purple Heart non-profit organization, said the regional project has a goal set at $750,000. “We are starting a fundraising event tonight to raise funds to construct the monument of courage,” he said. He said the monument is to honor Gold Star families and Purple Heart recipients. The monument itself will not cost $750,000, but Oien said there the goal factors in some residual money for maintenance purposes throughout its future so that it doesn’t become a burden to the citizens who are in the West Texas community. The Chapter 0900 covers Amarillo, Lubbock and Midland. “We want to break ground November 11, 2018,” said Oien. “The significance of that day is the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I.” Other families were honored, such as the family of Scott Lilley from Roswell, New Mexico. Lilley was severely injured in Iraq and given almost no hope of survival, according to a news release.