By Treto Garza
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas Mrs. Dolia Gonzales proud mother of Medal Of Honor Recipient Sgt. Alfredo Freddy Gonzales of Edinburg TX met with representatives of the Veterans Alliance of the Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg this Sunday. Joe Ibarra of Harlingen arranged the meeting. At a fund raiser held on Saturday at the VFW Post 8788 in McAllen Chair Homer Gallegos designated a committee to be headed by Treto Garza to meet with Mrs. Gonzales.
The meeting was held at the Echo Hotel. Mrs. Gonzales started the meeting stating you guys need a hospital you really do and I will do whatever you feel that I can do to help out.
Treto Garza asked for her support and if she could attend one of the regular meetings of the Veterans. She agreed. She then told the veterans that it would be something that her son would have wanted her to do.
Mrs. Gonzales spoke about her son life and his tours in Vietnam. He would write often. She stated that they were very close. And after that she said that she never thought that she would meet so many people in many places.
Other veterans that served with her son politicians members of Congress and Texas legislators the governor other dignataries in the military. She never imagined that she would be christening a large naval vessel in honor of her son.
She gave the veterans a quick tour of the photos on the walls of the Restaurant. In a meeting room photos of Sgt. Gonzales in
Vietnam show him during both tours. On another wall in the main dining room there is a wall that shows photos of the christening of the USS Alfredo Gonzales DDG66 a large U S Navy vessel. There are several photos on each of the walls.
They are open for public viewing to customers.
Homer Gallegos told her that the veterans of the Rio Grande Valley would be proud to learn that she was supporting our efforts. Joe Ibarra told her that we wanted to make sure that she knew exactly what we were doing and anytime she wanted to know what the organization was doing that she would be informed. Mrs. Gonzales told the veterans that she had attended veterans meetings in the past. She would like to do that again.
The Veterans Alliance next meeting is on August 30 2010.
She will be an invited guest. Members of the committee were Mike Escobedo Adelaido Cantu Homer Gallegos Joe Ibarra Rey Molano Arturo Treto Garza Irene T. Garza and Udelia Cortez
