Next Meeting: December 20, Barron's Pizza, McKinney, TX, 6:00 PM
Our Vision and Mission
North Texas Military Veterans started as a group of submarine veterans gathering together to share experiences and enjoy that singular camaraderie that develops within a tight military community. Shortly after our founding, we expanded to include other Navy veterans, then eventually included veterans from all military services.
Today, our organization is comprised of members of all military branches and we encourage all active duty military and veterans to become members. Family of active duty and vets are encouraged to become associate members.
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For many vets, just being in the company of other vets and hearing their experiences is relaxing. They know that someone else did the things they did and they are able to share their experiences with people who understand fully, or at least fully enough, to "get it". That feeling is important for every individual, and sometimes it's harder for a vet to find that feeling because the experiences they have are not like those found in day to day life. We don't provide counseling or have a brick and mortar clubhouse. What we do have is individuals from all the military branches that understand what it was like to "be there". When we gather, it is our hope that any vet can feel that camaraderie once again.
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In addition, we know that the children of vets, especially, can have a difficult time as they move from place to place so frequently with their active duty parent as that parent changes duty stations. For that reason, to provide a bit of assistance, we offer scholarships to them as well as to vets and to active duty personnel.
What We Do...
Community Engagement
United States Flag Retirement Ceremonies
In addition to supporting our veteran's families with scholarships, the North Texas Military Veterans provides several locations for the collection of damaged and retired United States flags. Currently, we have drop off locations at Scramblers Café in Princeton (Highway 380 across from the Walmart) and a second one at Poor Richard's Café in Plano (Park and Avenue K). We are also working with the Galveston Naval Museum and have installed a third drop off point near their entrance.
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We collect all these flags and periodically have Flag Retirement Ceremonies. The flags are honorably retired and respectfully disposed of using the recommended disposal method, which is burning until entirely consumed.
The ceremonies in Galveston will take place during their biannual volunteer work weeks which are typically in April and November. All guests at the museum at the time of the ceremony are encouraged to attend and will be allowed to participate in the ceremony if they wish.
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Local ceremonies are held as needed based on the amount of flags collected. Typically we collect one to two duffel bags of flags before we set up a ceremony. The ceremony location changes based on availability, but the public is encouraged to attend and learn more about the flag that symbolizes what our country stands for. When one of these ceremonies is scheduled, the date, time, and location will be announced.
Events & Activities
Social Gatherings
We participate in various events and activities to promote social interaction and create a sense of belonging among our veteran community. We organize group dinners, movie nights and other outings such as museum visits where friends and family are encouraged to attend.
Educational Programs
Scholarship Opportunities
Our scholarship program focuses on providing veterans children with opportunities to enhance their skills, pursue higher education, and achieve personal and professional growth. Veterans and active duty military are also encouraged to apply for these scholarships as they work to enhance their own abilities and education during and after their own military service.
Special Events
Parades and Events
Our group supports a variety of local and national holidays that honor veterans and the military in general. We also participate in parades and other events throughout the year that support and honor military traditions and events. At a minimum, we can be found at the Farmersville Audie Murphy Day event, the McKinney 4th of July parade and the Guns and Hoses event held in September at the Allen Events Center.
Photos of our Journey
Throughout our journey, members have taken photos of functions and events in which we have participated. You are welcome to explore our photo archive and see if what we are doing interests you. We are always looking for new members and if what you see is to your liking, we encourage you to join us!
Yard Sign Sales
The Submarine Veterans of North Texas has developed a basic high quality yard sign design. We then modified the basic design to represent each of the military services as well as police and firefighters.
These signs incorporate a solid metal framework with a logo to the left that represents the service. The name of the service is found across the top, and there is a location for a standard sized cloth flag to be attached. A solid curved metal rod is attached to the bottom to secure the sign vertically into your yard.
This is one example. All the signs follow this basic design pattern. The sale of these yard signs directly funds our scholarship program as well as covers our group expenses.
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If you are interested in purchasing one of our signs, please click the link below.
Meeting Minutes
The North Texas Military Veterans currently meets every third Saturday of the month at the Spring Creek Barbeque at 1993 N Central Expressway in McKinney, Texas at 11:00 am. This location is directly on the frontage road on the Northwest corner of 380 and Highway 75 at the east side of the Target parking lot.
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Occasionally we preempt these meetings with an event. As an example, the Farmersville Audie Murphy Day parade is often held on the third Saturday in June. Events like this will not have meeting minutes but members and their families are still encouraged to attend, support the group and enjoy the day!