Lakeway, TX
Veterans tribute coming to LTHS, May 12-16
Apr/28/2010 08:00 Filed in: News Article
Veterans tribute coming to LTHS, May 12-16
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 | Charles McClure
Mike Boston was frustrated. The Lakeway Heritage Center archivist had welcomed a group of Boy Scouts to the historical nerve center of the community.
As he showed the scouts around the heritage center, he pointed to a poster the troop had signed commemorating the 9-11 tragedy. “So who can tell me what this is all about?” Boston asked.
But not a peep came from the scouts, only blank faces stared in his direction.
“None of the scouts responded — not one,” Boston, a retired Navy Captain, lamented.
For Boston, who grew up in the shadow of the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the silence was a wake up call.
“When I was growing up, every kid knew what had happened at Pearl Harbor,” he said.
He pondered how could this happen. How was it that any American child could not know what took place just a few years earlier — a tragedy that redefined a nation and ignited a world wide war on terrorism.
Time passed, but the Vietnam veteran continued to contemplate the issue. Boston began discussing what had happened with friends in the community — particularly with his fellow veterans.
For a time, he mulled bringing the Vietnam Moving Wall, a scaled down replica of the famed Vietnam Veterans Memorial — affectionately called “The Wall,” located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The memorial bears the names of the 58,205 soldiers that were killed or remain missing in action from the war.
But there is a long waiting list for the Moving Wall, and Boston wanted something that would encompass a broader spectrum of American history. And that’s when he discovered the American Veterans Traveling Tribute’s (AVTT) Price of Freedom Monument.
What makes the AVTT unique is that it has multiple displays representing statistics from every war/conflict that the U.S. has been involved in. Of course, it takes money to bring a memorial to any community, but Boston found help in the form of the Lakeway Civic Corporation (LCC), a non-profit organization that assists community needs with grants.
By the Fall of 2009, with LCC making a generous grant, Boston had found mountains of support on the South shores of Lake Travis. Utilizing all the years of experience he had amassed as an officer in the Navy, he cofounded the Price of Freedom Committee to prepare for the upcoming exhibit.
The months of work have paid off and now the Price of Freedom is coming to the Lake Travis High School football field from May 12-16.
Boston has found allies everywhere — including the Lake Travis Independent School District, which has designed a curriculum especially for the monument.
Dr. Diane Frost, the deputy superintendent at LTISD, said the Price of Freedom Monument offered a unique opportunity for a hands-on American history lesson.
“When we knew the monument was coming to Lake Travis High School, we wanted it to be more than just an event — we wanted to tailor a curriculum that could benefit our students,” Frost said. “This is a singular opportunity for our students.”
An estimated 3,000 students will visit the venue.
“The exhibit essentially pays tribute to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the liberties and freedoms enjoyed by Americans since the American Revolution, up to and including the Global War on Terror,” Boston said. “The exhibit will be open to the public 24-hours a day, with special events planned for Saturday and Sunday.
Groups from any and all local public and private schools are strongly encouraged to attend.”
While the major sponsor of the exhibit is the Lakeway Civic Corporation, Boston points out that other contributions have been made by Weed-Corley-Fish, American Airlines, America’s Huey 091 Foundation, and Lochow Ranch.
“No less important are other cash donations by local families, and the in-kind contributions and percentage of sales donations by local businesses such as the Chicken Express, Chick-Fil-A, Hill Country Spring Water, The Summit of Lakeway, Mangieri’s Pizza, Mimi’s Café, the Donut Hole, Papa Murphy’s Pizza, Papa John’s Pizza, the Point of Origin, and Dog-A-Dillo,” Boston said.
The exhibit can be viewed on www.avtt.org, and the schedule of events and other information about the Lakeway exhibit can be viewed on www.thepriceoffreedomlaketravis.org.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 | Charles McClure
Mike Boston was frustrated. The Lakeway Heritage Center archivist had welcomed a group of Boy Scouts to the historical nerve center of the community.
As he showed the scouts around the heritage center, he pointed to a poster the troop had signed commemorating the 9-11 tragedy. “So who can tell me what this is all about?” Boston asked.
But not a peep came from the scouts, only blank faces stared in his direction.
“None of the scouts responded — not one,” Boston, a retired Navy Captain, lamented.
For Boston, who grew up in the shadow of the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the silence was a wake up call.
“When I was growing up, every kid knew what had happened at Pearl Harbor,” he said.
He pondered how could this happen. How was it that any American child could not know what took place just a few years earlier — a tragedy that redefined a nation and ignited a world wide war on terrorism.
Time passed, but the Vietnam veteran continued to contemplate the issue. Boston began discussing what had happened with friends in the community — particularly with his fellow veterans.
For a time, he mulled bringing the Vietnam Moving Wall, a scaled down replica of the famed Vietnam Veterans Memorial — affectionately called “The Wall,” located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The memorial bears the names of the 58,205 soldiers that were killed or remain missing in action from the war.
But there is a long waiting list for the Moving Wall, and Boston wanted something that would encompass a broader spectrum of American history. And that’s when he discovered the American Veterans Traveling Tribute’s (AVTT) Price of Freedom Monument.
What makes the AVTT unique is that it has multiple displays representing statistics from every war/conflict that the U.S. has been involved in. Of course, it takes money to bring a memorial to any community, but Boston found help in the form of the Lakeway Civic Corporation (LCC), a non-profit organization that assists community needs with grants.
By the Fall of 2009, with LCC making a generous grant, Boston had found mountains of support on the South shores of Lake Travis. Utilizing all the years of experience he had amassed as an officer in the Navy, he cofounded the Price of Freedom Committee to prepare for the upcoming exhibit.
The months of work have paid off and now the Price of Freedom is coming to the Lake Travis High School football field from May 12-16.
Boston has found allies everywhere — including the Lake Travis Independent School District, which has designed a curriculum especially for the monument.
Dr. Diane Frost, the deputy superintendent at LTISD, said the Price of Freedom Monument offered a unique opportunity for a hands-on American history lesson.
“When we knew the monument was coming to Lake Travis High School, we wanted it to be more than just an event — we wanted to tailor a curriculum that could benefit our students,” Frost said. “This is a singular opportunity for our students.”
An estimated 3,000 students will visit the venue.
“The exhibit essentially pays tribute to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the liberties and freedoms enjoyed by Americans since the American Revolution, up to and including the Global War on Terror,” Boston said. “The exhibit will be open to the public 24-hours a day, with special events planned for Saturday and Sunday.
Groups from any and all local public and private schools are strongly encouraged to attend.”
While the major sponsor of the exhibit is the Lakeway Civic Corporation, Boston points out that other contributions have been made by Weed-Corley-Fish, American Airlines, America’s Huey 091 Foundation, and Lochow Ranch.
“No less important are other cash donations by local families, and the in-kind contributions and percentage of sales donations by local businesses such as the Chicken Express, Chick-Fil-A, Hill Country Spring Water, The Summit of Lakeway, Mangieri’s Pizza, Mimi’s Café, the Donut Hole, Papa Murphy’s Pizza, Papa John’s Pizza, the Point of Origin, and Dog-A-Dillo,” Boston said.
The exhibit can be viewed on www.avtt.org, and the schedule of events and other information about the Lakeway exhibit can be viewed on www.thepriceoffreedomlaketravis.org.
Lakeway council welcomes vets tribute with proclamation
Apr/22/2010 08:00 Filed in: News Article
Lakeway council welcomes vets tribute with proclamation
Thursday, April 22, 2010 | Devin Monk
The Lakeway City Council saluted the American Veterans Traveling Tribute set for May 12-17 at the Lake Travis High School football field.
The city passed a proclamation recognizing the upcoming event.
Lakeway archivist and Price of Freedom committee chair Mike Boston thanked the city for its endorsement. Boston also recognized Lake Travis ISD and City of Bee Cave as contributors to the effort to bring the traveling display to Lake Travis.
The tribute features the Traveling Vietnam Wall, an 80 percent replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The wall is more than 380 feet long from end to end and contains all 58,253 names. The displays also present statistics from every war and conflict that the USA has been involved in, a series of World War II panels portraying the entire timeline of events and a Korean War tribute representing the timeline of the entire conflict with corresponding battle maps and photos. It also includes a timeline, series of facts and figures, and a display of art from Vietnam veteran artists depicting patriotic and veteran themes, in addition to a display of U.S. founding and significant historical documents including the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and other historical documents.
Other displays memorialize the casualties at the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, the names of all 2,984 casualties of 9-11 organized by where they were located at the time of death and the AVTT Gold Dog Tag display, which honors those who have fallen and to which there is not currently a memorial for their honor and remembrance.
Boston expressly thanked the Lakeway Civic Corp. for its support.
“I cannot thank the Lakeway Civic Corp. enough for being a major sponsor for this event,” he said, adding that the tribute relies solely on volunteers and donations.
Following his statements, Mayor Dave DeOme proclaimed the week of May 10 as Price of Freedom Week in Lakeway.
Thursday, April 22, 2010 | Devin Monk
The Lakeway City Council saluted the American Veterans Traveling Tribute set for May 12-17 at the Lake Travis High School football field.
The city passed a proclamation recognizing the upcoming event.
Lakeway archivist and Price of Freedom committee chair Mike Boston thanked the city for its endorsement. Boston also recognized Lake Travis ISD and City of Bee Cave as contributors to the effort to bring the traveling display to Lake Travis.
The tribute features the Traveling Vietnam Wall, an 80 percent replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The wall is more than 380 feet long from end to end and contains all 58,253 names. The displays also present statistics from every war and conflict that the USA has been involved in, a series of World War II panels portraying the entire timeline of events and a Korean War tribute representing the timeline of the entire conflict with corresponding battle maps and photos. It also includes a timeline, series of facts and figures, and a display of art from Vietnam veteran artists depicting patriotic and veteran themes, in addition to a display of U.S. founding and significant historical documents including the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and other historical documents.
Other displays memorialize the casualties at the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, the names of all 2,984 casualties of 9-11 organized by where they were located at the time of death and the AVTT Gold Dog Tag display, which honors those who have fallen and to which there is not currently a memorial for their honor and remembrance.
Boston expressly thanked the Lakeway Civic Corp. for its support.
“I cannot thank the Lakeway Civic Corp. enough for being a major sponsor for this event,” he said, adding that the tribute relies solely on volunteers and donations.
Following his statements, Mayor Dave DeOme proclaimed the week of May 10 as Price of Freedom Week in Lakeway.
Lakeway proclaims week of May 10 as "Price of Freedom" week
Apr/20/2010 08:00 Filed in: News Article
Lakeway proclaims week of May 10 as 'Price of Freedom' week
By Tiffany Young
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
LAKEWAY — Lakeway Mayor Dave DeOme proclaimed the week of May 10 as “Price of Freedom” week at the April 19 city council meeting.
Mike Boston, a resident of Lakeway and co-chair of the Price of Freedom event, has been working to bring the American Veterans Traveling Tribute to Lakeway for about two years. The Cost of Freedom Tribute, an 80 percent replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will be on display May 12 to 16 with opening and closing ceremonies to honor and remember veterans.
The Lake Travis Independent School District has scheduled more than 3,000 students to visit the tribute throughout the week.
Boston said the school system’s support is important and one of the reasons they are bringing the tribute to Lakeway.
“I can think back on my childhood years, and the educational system doesn’t address what the cost of freedom is really all about. They can’t get to the heart of the sacrifice,” Boston said.
He said that he’d never forget the day he took his then six-year-old grandson to see the exhibit.
“The innocence of a six year old looking at that is forever embedded in my mind. He said to me, ‘Grandpa, that many people died in the Vietnam War?’” Boston said. “I think when the young people visit, they’ll be able to reflect not only the Vietnam aspect, but all the way back to the Revolutionary War.”
While there are more than 150 volunteers and numerous individual and business sponsors, and endorsements from community and city organizations, event coordinators are still looking for donations and on-site guards throughout the event. Visit www.thepriceoffreedomlaketravis.com for more information on the event or to find out more about getting involved.
Schedule of events
Opening ceremonies Saturday, May 15 Program starts at 10 a.m.
6:30 p.m. Performance by Heather Wiley
7:30 p.m. Comments from B.G. “Jug” Burkett
7:45 p.m. Performance by Kira Small
8:42 p.m. “God Bless The USA” by LTMS Student Kalie Naftzger
8:45 p.m. Fireworks Display
8:50 p.m. Performance by Granger Smith
9:55 p.m. Lights Out
By Tiffany Young
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
LAKEWAY — Lakeway Mayor Dave DeOme proclaimed the week of May 10 as “Price of Freedom” week at the April 19 city council meeting.
Mike Boston, a resident of Lakeway and co-chair of the Price of Freedom event, has been working to bring the American Veterans Traveling Tribute to Lakeway for about two years. The Cost of Freedom Tribute, an 80 percent replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will be on display May 12 to 16 with opening and closing ceremonies to honor and remember veterans.
The Lake Travis Independent School District has scheduled more than 3,000 students to visit the tribute throughout the week.
Boston said the school system’s support is important and one of the reasons they are bringing the tribute to Lakeway.
“I can think back on my childhood years, and the educational system doesn’t address what the cost of freedom is really all about. They can’t get to the heart of the sacrifice,” Boston said.
He said that he’d never forget the day he took his then six-year-old grandson to see the exhibit.
“The innocence of a six year old looking at that is forever embedded in my mind. He said to me, ‘Grandpa, that many people died in the Vietnam War?’” Boston said. “I think when the young people visit, they’ll be able to reflect not only the Vietnam aspect, but all the way back to the Revolutionary War.”
While there are more than 150 volunteers and numerous individual and business sponsors, and endorsements from community and city organizations, event coordinators are still looking for donations and on-site guards throughout the event. Visit www.thepriceoffreedomlaketravis.com for more information on the event or to find out more about getting involved.
Schedule of events
Opening ceremonies Saturday, May 15 Program starts at 10 a.m.
- Lakeway Sing-Along Choir Ensemble
- USAF F16 fighters fly-over
- University of Texas Football Coach Ken Rucker
- USAF Band of the West-Gateway Brass
- Dottie’s Follies Dancing Ensemble
- Texas Association of Vietnam Veterans Firebase ceremony
6:30 p.m. Performance by Heather Wiley
7:30 p.m. Comments from B.G. “Jug” Burkett
7:45 p.m. Performance by Kira Small
8:42 p.m. “God Bless The USA” by LTMS Student Kalie Naftzger
8:45 p.m. Fireworks Display
8:50 p.m. Performance by Granger Smith
9:55 p.m. Lights Out