Circle 5279 Presents Stars to Troops and Veterans

After learning of the Stars for Troops and Veterans program at the Texas State Squires Convention in Pearland last June, the Deacon Pete Martinez Columbian Squires Circle 5279 at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Wylie researched the program further and decided to participate in the program. Various Knights of Columbus donated retired U.S. flags with embroidered stars to the Circle. With the help of USMC Gunnery Sgt. and Deputy Grand Knight Raymond Zavala of St. Anthony Council 12300 that sponsors Circle 5279, the Circle has distributed 300 stars from these retired flags during the Council 12300's sponsored Veterans Mass and Breakfast on November 8th, during Council 12300’s visit to the VA Hospital in Bonham to serve Christmas dinner on December 19th, and at St. Anthony for Christmas. Each soldier or veteran receives a star that has been carefully removed from one of the retired flags along with a message that "they have not been forgotten". The Circle has received numerous compliments on how much these stars mean to those receiving them. Circle 5279 looks forward to distributing more stars in the future.

(Left to Right) USMC Gunnery Sgt. Raymond Zavala, Deputy Grand Knight of Council 12300 and Chairman of the Veterans Mass and Breakfast, poses with Squires SBOC & DCS Sean Fletcher PCS, Adrian Guzman, Agustin Guzman, and Frank Moslener, who presented the stars to the veterans attending the November 8th breakfast held in their honor.