Chuck Wagon Musings: Cowboys For Heroes

About a year ago Arb Lenamon brought up to the board of directors of the American Chuck Wagon Association his involvement in a worthwhile project for wounded warriors. He told us that we could greatly benefit from the experience by "giving back" to those soldiers who have so courageously served our country. He went on to explain that the project had spanned nine years and that 2015 would be the tenth year. The ACWA had been looking for something to get started with in relation to charitable work. Arb informed us there had been about 20 wagons who served approximately 4,000 wounded, injured and ill soldiers and veterans in 2014. The ACWA group voted unamiously to support Cowboys For Heroes at Fort Sam Houston located in San Antonio, Texas.

The difficulty with such a project is dealing with the federal regulations one must follow when organizing such an event at a military installation. Arb has dealt with personnel each year, but the personnel change every year and the new folks at the base have to be reeducated as to what we want to do. He tells them that we just want to bring onto the base 20 or so chuck wagons and support vehicles along with about 150 cooks, food and equipment to feed about 4,000 to 5,000 of the soldiers and veterans. They ask how much will it cost and the reply is: Nothing! Aubrey tells them we will get our on donations to cover the costs. Most of the cost comes from our own pockets he tells them.We do have meat donated throught C4H and Greg Lyles and still others who who generously supported some of the various wagons. I think you get the picture as to how the event has developed. It is a private affair and is open to all branches of the military.

We had been contacted by Greg Liles about what meat we would like to serve and they tried their best to accommodate our wishes. I understand C4H purchased beef from the Houston Livestock Show and had it butchered to our wishes. Pioneer Flour donated flour, corn meal, bisquik mix, and brownie mix.

This being the first time to be involved with the event I wasn't sure just how things actually worked. I spoke with several friends who had participated in the past and they gave me a heads up on sort of what to expect. I thought it would be a good idea to have two wagons together under one fly to serve as the host of the ACWA camp. Marcus Reed agreed to bring his 1927 Model TT Ford chuck wagon to anchor one end of the fly and I was planning on using Arb's wagon at the other end. It wasn't until I began to put together, in my mind, the things I would need to take to San Antonio from El Paso, that I realized all the stuff wouldn't fit in my pick up...so I told Aubrey that I would just save him the trouble of bringing his wagon and I would bring my John Deere so that I could get everything there that we would need.

It wasn't until I put a pencil to it when it dawned on me that we would need a goodly number of folks to get all that food prepared to feed about 500+ people. Hummm that means I will have to disconnect the kitchen sink too. At one time I counted seventeen people in our camp...cooking.

Now let's see, we cooked: six briskets, 160 hot dogs, 165 chicken fired steaks, big pot of chili, 18 gallons of peaches and 36 boxes of cake mix for cobblers, 25 pounds of Greg Martin pintos, six pans of brownies, hundreds of benighs, 50 pounds of potatoes, 5 gallons of peppercorn gravy plus coffee. We managed to use about a half cord of wood and five propane cookers. It took two men plenty busy just to keep us with enough coals to keep all the Dutch ovens hot. And you need to understand that we were just one camp with two wagons. There were eighteen other camps with similar set ups preparing everything under the sun.

A little planning goes a long way

One of the nineteen serving lines

Erik and Eddie getting the sausage ready to serve

WC and some of the many warriors through the camp

Music was provided, free of charge, my Mike Carr and the Lone Star Statesmen from the Hondo, Texas area. Mike runs the KCWM radio station in Hondo and when I approached him with doing the event he was "all in".
No question, they were going to do this for the men and women who have done so much for us. There wasn't much room for dancing but there was dancing going on. When the mood strikes you just gotta move.

K R Wood singing Dave Crockett

Mike Carr and the Lone Star Statesmen providing the day long music

K R Wood, story teller and muscian was also on hand to provide a flavor of Texas to the attendees. Jerry Diaz, Charro extodinair was on hand to do amazing feats. Mutton bustin was a favorite of the kids and grownups alike as well as the bull rides. If you didn't get to help out you missed a wonderful time at Fort Sam Houston. You might even consider putting it on your bucket list. It was that good.

Kathy Christensen, a member of the ACWA board of directors was on hand to sell t-shirts and other items.

Ronnie Sexton, ACWA member, setting up the signs and flags for the host wagon. Ronnie and wife Maribeth helped another board member, Lonnie Tegler and his wife prepare food in the Rocking T Chuck Wagon camp. Brian Frankum and wife Susan also representing the ACWA was present with the Wishbone wagon.

Here you see board member Kathy Christensen selling tee shirts to benefit the "Helping Hand" award the ACWA established to help a needy military person.

If you will look closely this military gentleman has a Texas Longhorn shirt on. Just saying! Hook 'um Horns. He is certainly enjoying himself on the bucking bull.