Denton's Golden Triangle Mall is decked out for the holiday and its hallways filled with the expected Christmas sights and sounds. But this month it also has three old warriors hoping to capture your attention and your respect.
"I guess my passion too is that I spent 21 years in the armed forces. And so I've seen a lot in my time," said Gary Steele, an Air Force and Vietnam War veteran who can be found in the mall outside the entrance to JCPenney. He and his fellow Denton-area veterans created a 7-foot tall display that spells out the human cost of every American-involved war, the contribution of Texans, and the plans of Denton-area veterans to create a Texas Veterans Hall of Fame.
Everyone knows about Medal of Honor heroes like Texas' own Audie Murphy. Steele wants to make sure every Texas veteran, from every war, is honored and remembered too. They are eyeing a historic city office building in downtown Denton at the corner of Elm and Pecan as a potential location.
"To show their sacrifice, that this is their story," Steele said.
"It'll make them feel they did something that was worthwhile," said Vietnam Veteran Jere Delano. "And that people do actually appreciate it."
"If you could get some of these high school kids to stand and look at it," Vietnam Veteran Alan Lessard said standing next to the display that detailed the casualties, the missing, and the captured from every American conflict, "they might learn something real quick."
The goal is to get enough public interest and enough statewide funding to build the Texas Veterans Hall of Fame by the year 2020.
"Our young adults, and even some of our older Texans don't understand or they've forgotten about the sacrifices our veterans have made," Steele said.
But during our interview, he was encouraged by the number of people who stopped to thank each of them for their service. Now they are hoping Texas will be ready to create a Veterans Hall of Fame in Denton so that every veteran has a permanent place of honor.