Hays County to go green for veterans

Hays County Commissioners Court honored veterans by adopting a proclamation in support of Operation Greenlight.

As part of Operation Greenlight, the county will change out light bulbs around the Hays County Historic Courthouse from Nov. 6 to 12 with green bulbs, as a reminder of the sacrifices made by those serving or who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The proclamation stated that residents of Hays County hold veterans in the highest regard and have the utmost gratitude for their service.

The court encourages citizens of Hays County to show appreciation for veterans by displaying a green light in the window of their home or business.

“Hays County, we support our veterans,” Hays County Veterans Service Officer Jude Prather said. “And that’s just a fact.”

Prather said, for our nation and community, Veterans Day is the unofficial start of the holiday season.

He said there will be a lot going on throughout the county to celebrate it such as the San Marcos Veterans Day Parade at the Hays County Historic Courthouse.

He said you can obtain the green light bulbs to support Operation Greenlight through a partnership with Amazon, and the city of San Marcos will also be lighting the Square downtown green.

The court said it wanted to stress the importance of veterans and active service members.

“The contributions and sacrifices of the menandwomenwho served the armed forces have been vital in maintaining the freedoms and way of life enjoyed by our citizens,” the proclamation stated. “Veterans continue to serve our community in the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, religious groups, civil service and the county veterans service officers to help fellow former service members access more than $52 billion in federal health, disability and compensation benefits each year.”

The proclamation stated that approximately 200,000 service members transition to civilian life annually.

“Studies indicate that 44 to 72 percent of the service members experience high levels of stress during transition from military to civilian life,” the proclamation stated. “Active duty military service members transitioning from military service are at a high risk for suicide in the first year after military service.”

To learn more about Operation Greenlight, go to naco.org/program/ operationgreen- light-veterans.