June 7th, 2021 our local beloved AMVETS Post 133 Won the Post of The Year for the state of Texas. These amazing men and women not only have served our country, but they serve our veterans and community members selflessly.
Commander Len Wood tells us that this group has put in more hours, compassion, and fundraising than ever to help make this award possible. He explains, “State-level gives us credit for $27.20 per man. That way, they keep everything level for everybody. So all posts get the same amount. We’re competing against Dallas, El Paso, Lubbock, and Amarillo. The point here is that we’re a really small post but we compete against everybody.”
Not only is this group competing with much larger posts throughout Texas, but the turnout for these projects is also phenomenal. Len tells us that the foundation actually adds their money spent and the money Post 133 fundraiser, into the institution together. Which shows exactly the amount going into our community. “They add all this stuff together to come up with a final number. This says: how much we’ve invested in our community, how much we’ve invested in our city. So like this number right here, $62,954, That is what we have done within the first six months of this year. That’s what we’ve invested in the City of Mineral Wells and Palo Pinto County.”
The main goal of the AMVETS Post 133 is to be able to help veterans, their families, and their neighbors as if they were family. This past year alone the group has hosted many car shows, a fishing tournament, Salisbury Scholarship Award, bowling tournament, the back to school backpack program with First Baptist Church, and many more. Len notes that it means a lot to him to be able to provide help in emergency situations. “If somebody calls me and they say, Hey, I’m a veteran. I can’t pay my electric bill. Can you guys help me out? We’re able to do that.”
But AMVETS Post 133 hasn’t made this great accomplishment on its own. Len tells us how grateful he is for the community and the sponsors; who have helped to make this achievable. “We have been fortunate enough the last few years to develop relationships with brands such as Ram Country dodge, Autoworld Chevrolet, Walmart, The Currie Group with Nick Currie, Jeff Smith from Auto Pro, O’Riley’s, Jack Powel Ford, and I know there are some people I’m leaving out here. But these great relationships help make this possible.”
But most of all, Len declares what an honor it is to receive this award for the AMVETS Post 133. “It’s the recognition from the state level; from men who’ve never come to Mineral Wells saying, Hey, man, these guys are working hard. We’ve got a lot of folks in our posts that work really hard. I’ve only been The Commander for one year. So it’s not just me. It’s all these folks. All these men and women go out and help. Our wives invest so much time into doing these projects. I would never get everything done that I need to do if it weren’t for them. We got to give credit where it is deserved, they work hard.”
For more information on the AMVETS Post 133 of Mineral Wells, here is their Facebook Page, and their website is here.
Here is the most recent article about their Salisbury Scholarship Ceremony from a couple weeks ago: “AMVETS Give It All”
Writer | I graduated from Weatherford College with an Associates in Art, focusing on history, creative writings, sociology, and humanities. Experience in child development, client care, and runs local Spoken Word Poetry group for young teens.
