The San Antonio Chamber of Commerce officially kicked-off its 46th year of Celebrate America’s Military (CAM) events with the CAM Opening Ceremony and 30th anniversary celebration of the dedication of the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial on the steps of the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, November 1.
News 4-San Antonio anchor Michael Garofalo emceed the event which included remarks from: San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor; Mike Fresher, CEO of the Tobin Center; Lewis Runnion, Director of Military Affairs for Bank of America; and Founder of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial of San Antonio; John Baines, who is a Vietnam Veteran and Navy Seabee.
Immediate Past Chairman of the Chamber, Henry Cisneros, was the event’s keynote speaker. Cisneros highlighted his pride in participating in the original dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as Mayor of San Antonio in 1986.
More than 300 people attended the Ceremony, including many military representatives from Joint Base San Antonio, as well as local business, community and civic supporters of the monument and Celebrate America’s Military. The opening ceremony was sponsored by Bank of America with free coffee and taquitos provided by Starbucks and Whataburger. This event was free and open to the public.
The Ceremony served as a special thanks to the San Antonio community for its many years of dedicated support of our military partners, those currently serving and veterans. The Chamber continues to be proud of the opportunity to link our neighbors on Joint Base San Antonio to our local communities within the surrounding areas and is especially honored to have been a part of remembering the service of our Vietnam Veterans who are such an important piece of our city.
For more information about Celebrate America’s Military and upcoming events, visit the CAM website.
