Region VII — Tex-Mex Region
Chapter 9 Christmas Party
Greetings from the men of Chapter 9. The chapter is holding all meetings in the team house right behind VFW 812 in McKelligon Canyon. Meetings at 1300 every third Saturday of the month.
Sick Call: Chuy Zamora is back and forth at the hospital and getting therapy. Virgie Saiz has been doing chemo medical testing. Bill Snider had emergency retina surgery and his mother passed away at age 96. Randy Austin had back surgery. Jerry Montoya fell and broke his left ankle in 3 places. Chris Hernandez’s wife Maria is progressing slowly in a rehabilitation hospital. Zoom connection: Our distant Members are now able to attend the monthly meeting via Zoom.
Wreaths Across America. 58 wreaths were placed at FT Bliss National Cemetery by nearly 20 of our members and families.
29th Annual Ralph Dominguez/Jerry Montoya Food Drive – Greg and his committee did an outstanding job to prepare and execute this past food drive; 96 Boxes prepared for Christmas for needy families this year. Nearly $3K was Spent. Next year is the 30th year!
Christmas Party: Old Fashioned Christmas – about 100 attendees. Omar and his committee upped their game from last year and produced a well-deserved night to celebrate the hard work from last year. We had great food, raffles and dancing with the Villa Band providing entertainment.
Special Olympics Basketball Team – Chapter 9 passed $1,500 in support to the Special Olympics Basketball Team that our member Jerry is a major supporter and coach.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace Donation (18 JAN 26) - Greg, Steve and Brian Carter, SHP President
Sleep in Heavenly Peace Donation (SHP): Steve, Greg and Brian went out to the Upper Valley to the Sleep in Heavenly Peace warehouse and presented $2,500 donation to SPH to purchase mattresses. They were prepping to send out beds that they were building to needy families with children. In the last three years SHP has built 3,000 beds.
Chapter 9 Pending Events:
ROTC/JROTC SFA Leadership Award of Excellence-2026: El Paso school district and Ysleta district award presentations begin on 31 March. We are waiting for UTEP, Socorro, Clint and San Elizario timelines. Projected number of awards for the area this year is 21.
24th SOG Expo: Coming up April 7th Setup at Centennial Club followed by Vendor Appreciation Dinner at 1800 at VFW 812, 8th Expo Centennial Club (0600-1630), 9th Range Day FT Bliss Rod & Gun Club (0700-1400). Deadline to sign up as vendor is 1 April.
19th Annual Jerry Rainey Scholarship - August 15th Meeting: Preparing applications and committee now. We will be receiving packets from May 15th to June 15th and the top three will be presented with $1,500 Scholarships on 15 August.
20th Anniversary CSM (R) John Mclaughlin Golf Tournament - TBD September 2026: FT Bliss will not likely be finished with renovations for the Sunset course until 2027 and we are looking into options for a possible different location. Pete Peral has volunteered to Chair this year. We have 5K seed money already.
Greetings from SFA Alamo Chapter XV
The Christmas Banquet was a great success. Hard work was put in by everyone involved. A tip of the Beret goes out to Fred Solis, Santiago Sanchez, Merrill Hall, Tom Tannahill and Raul de la Garza for their hard work in putting this together.
As continuing support to the Echo Hills Gold Star Camp, a check for $500 was presented by Chapter XV to and accepted by Camp Director Marcie Freedman. Marcie thanked Chapter XV and stated that fortunately the camp was not damaged by the devasting flood that occurred in the Texas Hill Country this past July as the camp is not located in the flood zone. The camp also hosted many first responders during the tragic event.
We lost Chapter members Toby Todd on November 1st, 2025, former member Pat Feeley on December 9th, 2025, and Pedro Estrada on Tue, Jan 6, 2026.
Please keep all our members, families and friends in your thoughts and prayers as they recover from illness, live-saving operations, and experience age-related problems.
Chapter XV meetings are held the second Saturday of most months (except March, May, and December) at 1300 hours at VFW Post 8541, located at 2222 Austin Highway, San Antonio, TX, 78218. The next Chapter meeting is scheduled for April 11, 2026.
Please take a look at our website https://www.sfa-xv.org and sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of the home page. SFA items are also now on sale through the website at: https://www.sfa-xv.org/category/all-products.
CH XV members present at Estrada funeral
MSG Pedro “Pete” Briones Estrada
Pedro “Pete” Estrada, 86 of Bandera, Texas passed away on January 6th, 2026. Pete enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1960 following a four-year tour with the U.S. Air Force. In 1968, Pete volunteered for Special Forces duty and was assigned to the 7th SFG(A) as a Supply Sergeant. He was reassigned to the 5th SFG(A) in Vietnam in 1969. Returning from his tour in Vietnam, Pete was assigned to the 8th SFG(A) in Panama. In 1971 he began a second tour in Vietnam as Logistics Advisor with MACVSOG. Returning stateside, Pete was again assigned to the 5th SFG(A) before returning to Panama with the 7th SFG(A). Pete was honorably retired from active duty in 1979. Among his awards and decorations are the Bronze Star (1 OLC), the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry (w/Palm), the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, and the Master Parachutist’s Badge.
On February 7th Chapter XV members participated in the Memorial Bench Ceremony for SFC Javier “Jaguar” Gutierrez at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.
Pictured Left: Sylvia Galvan-Gutierrez, Gabriel Gutierrez, Javier Soliz-Gutierrez. Center: CH XV members present at memorial bench. Picture Right: SFC Javier Jaguar Gutierrez
Chapter 32-50 Members with BG Robinson in center.
At the 10 January 2026 Meeting, BG Ben Robinson, USAF, Ret. BG Ben Robinson, USAF, Ret., the Commander of AWACS, at Tinker AFB, on 11 SEP 2001, gave a riveting presentation about what happened throughout our country when the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked by radical Islamic terrorists. There was a large turnout of Members and Guests for the presentation.
Russ Bigbie presents J.O. Dickey with Letter of Commendation
J.O. Dickey was presented with A Chapter Letter of Commendation at our February Meeting for his actions that possibly saved the life of one of our Brother Green Berets.
Chapter 39 met at the Palinuro Italian Cuisine restaurant in Katy, Texas on Saturday 6 December 2025 for its Christmas party. Eleven chapter members and nine wives attended. Restaurateur Roberto and his team provided excellent service and food. We thank Dino McBride for coordinating both a raffle and the luncheon arrangements.
President Tommy Austin provided a brief introduction, then invited Dan Denham to offer a prayer. Each member introduced himself and wife or guest, his SF assignments, and his city of residence. Secretary-Treasurer Dan Denham reported on finances.
Two individuals discovered special notes beneath their chairs and received poinsettia plants. Dino McBride coordinated the raffle for prizes. Maggie Gutierrez and Ako Eskola each won Hummel vases, Tom Bridgwater won an SF CIB bracelet and wings, Al Robb won a wine carrier set, and Janet Keane won a Home Depot gift card. The chapter raised $320 from the raffle.
On 10 January 2026, a few members of the chapter met for the monthly SF/Ranger breakfast, and met Dave Dezso, newly appointed CEO of the Special Forces Trust. We exchanged information with him (mostly true!). We look forward to participating with the SFT in 2026.
Next meeting: 21 February, Honor Cafe, Conroe.
The restaurant is exclusively dedicated to military veterans. We posted an SF flag in the restaurant at a meeting we held there in 2024. We encourage you to browse its website to see photos and what it represents at https://honorcafe.us/. If you are in the area, stop by for a bite to eat and browse its rooms full of photographs and memorabilia.
Chapter XLI held our annual Christmas Party on December 6, 2025, with a catered barbecue lunch as well as a silent auction, 50/50 raffle, white elephant gift exchange, and cookie exchange. We also heard from the recipient of our fall MSG Tom Kyle Educational Assistance Grant, currently attending UT Austin, who expressed her gratitude for the assistance in purchasing books and other items required for her Pre-Medicine studies. Finally, we facilitated the donation of $400 of grocery store gift cards to Soldiers in need of some extra cash around the holidays, through the Camp Mabry Family Readiness Group.
In January we met up at Easy Tiger for a more casual get-together of coffee, pastries, and discussion. The next month we took on more serious topics, and met up on Camp Mabry for a presentation on the purpose and functionality of the SFA Teamhouse portal, as well as how to improve the chapter’s utilization of this tool. Finally, the Chapter concluded its Dream Getaway Raffle fundraiser, and a chapter member won a week in an oceanside villa in Port Aransas, Texas! All proceeds will support the chapter’s activities this year; thank you to those that supported this fundraiser!
It’s been a busy few months for Chapter XLI, as is typical over the holiday season – with lots of opportunities to get together socialize outside of a formal meeting structure. We held our annual Christmas Party on December 6, 2025, with a catered barbecue lunch as well as a silent auction, 50/50 raffle, white elephant gift exchange, and cookie exchange. We also heard from the recipient of our fall MSG Tom Kyle Educational Assistance Grant, currently attending UT Austin, who expressed her gratitude for the assistance the chapter has provided her in purchasing books and other items required for her Pre-Medicine studies. Finally, we facilitated the donation of $400 of grocery store gift cards to Soldiers in need of some extra cash around the holidays, through the Camp Mabry Family Readiness Group. These gift cards were made possible by a generous donation by Delores Cooper, the widow of SGM Charles Cooper.
We quickly recovered from the Christmas Party, and jumped into 2026 activities. In January we met up at Easy Tiger for a more casual get-together of coffee, pastries, and discussion. The next month we took on more serious topics, and met up on Camp Mabry for a presentation on the purpose and functionality of the SFA Teamhouse portal, as well as how to improve the chapter’s utilization of this tool. The presentation clarified to many in attendance just how powerful the Teamhouse can be to connect the worldwide network of Green Berets if members share good information on the portal. We also addressed a number of important topics facing the Chapter and SFA as a whole. Finally, the Chapter concluded its Dream Getaway Raffle fundraiser, and a chapter member won a week in an oceanside villa in Port Aransas, Texas! All proceeds will support the chapter’s activities this year; a sincere thank you to those that supported this fundraiser.
Chapter 80’s annual Christmas Party, nominally held on the 1st Saturday of Dec., was celebrated on the evening of 6 Dec. Members and guests gathered at our Team House, Mike Burleson’s residence, bringing favorite prepared dishes to this festive event. Main course meat items and beverage refreshments were provided by Chapter 80.
On Pearl Harbor Memorial Day, 7 Dec., members joined other local veterans to raise a Garrison Flag at Veterans Memorial Park here in Las Cruces to mark the occasion. Chapter 80 again, participated in Wreaths Across America at the Ft. Bliss National Cemetery on 13 Dec.
Wreaths were placed at the graves of deceased chapter members as well as the graves of a few other selected veterans. A wreath was also placed at the Chapter sponsored Special Forces Memorial in Veterans Memorial Park in Las Cruces. Chapter 80 recently added to this memorial by placing bricks inscribed with the names of current and former chapter members around its outer perimeter.
Chapter support of University High School ROTC evaluation preparation.
Chapter members James Savell, Wally Burns, and James’s son, Jason assisted.
For several years we have been meeting at the home of Jim Savell's son, Jason. We now refer to his house as the Savell Compound or Jason's Compound. This Valentine's Day we had a chapter party at Jason's Compound. Seven chapter members were there along with four wives and one lady friend. Jason served with the 82nd Airborne Division and has contact with several local 82nd veterans. Six 82nd veterans along with four wives were at the party. Following a delicious meal Jim Savell gave each husband a rose which in turn was presented to their wives along with expressions of love and appreciation. A good time was had by all.
Greetings from Amarillo Texas, also known as Bomb City!
We ended the year with a Christmas party at our safe house and favorite steak house. We didn’t have much of a turnout, with five members & spouse & a few guests. This is always a tough time to schedule anything due to the season party’s. We still had a wonderful time.
Last fall we voted on the Chap officers and decided to leave the ruling class the same.
We have our annual 12th SFG(A) reunion coming up in April that we’re busy working on. We always have a fun time at this event, although we seem to be loosing members due to final formations. We’ll have our next meeting during the reunion sometime.
Hope all are doing well. DOL