First female commander of American Legion Post 274 in Beeville
2 months ago | 718 views | 0 
| 3 
| 
| 
| 3 | |
When Becky Ochoa was a child growing up in Beeville, the American Legion Post in town was located in what is now a sprawling restaurant on South St. Mary’s Street.
“It was always packed with veterans and their families,” she said. “There was always something going on at the post, either a barbecue, bingo, dance — something that everyone in the whole community would go to.”
Today, American Legion Post 274 is located in what used to be someone’s home just off North St. Mary’s Street.
Few members attend the monthly meetings. Dances, barbecues, bingo are a thing of the past.
As post commander, Ochoa hopes to change all that.
“I want the post to be as busy as it used to be in the old days,” said Ochoa, who is the post’s first female commander. “I want to get the community involved with our veterans once again, like it used to be.”
Another goal of Ochoa’s is to boost membership.
“I want to reach out to veterans from every era; not just World War II, Korea and Vietnam, but from the gulf wars, too,” explained Ochoa, herself a veteran of the Operation Desert Storm. “We need to get all our veterans involved with the post; after all, it’s here to serve them.”
Ochoa said she was surprised and humbled to be elected the post’s first female commander.
“I had no idea they would nominate me,” she recalled. “I was definitely surprised. It was an honor. It was really special to have my husband and two children there the night I was elected.”
Ochoa, 45, served in the U.S. Army from 1986 to 1991 as a flight operations officer.
She spent much of that time at an American air base in Germany helping oversee the flow of materials and troops to and from Iraq during Operation Desert Storm.
“I always had my gear packed and ready to go in case they needed to send me to the war zone,” she recalled. “I was ready to go at a moment’s notice.”
Her husband, Baldemar Ochoa, also is an Army veteran who served during Operation Desert Storm.
Ochoa’s parents are Natalio and Librada Guevara of Beeville. She has two brothers.
Ochoa said she understands that as post commander she now shoulders additional responsibilities.
“They placed a lot of faith in me and I’m not going to let them down,” she vowed.
“It was always packed with veterans and their families,” she said. “There was always something going on at the post, either a barbecue, bingo, dance — something that everyone in the whole community would go to.”
Today, American Legion Post 274 is located in what used to be someone’s home just off North St. Mary’s Street.
Few members attend the monthly meetings. Dances, barbecues, bingo are a thing of the past.
As post commander, Ochoa hopes to change all that.
“I want the post to be as busy as it used to be in the old days,” said Ochoa, who is the post’s first female commander. “I want to get the community involved with our veterans once again, like it used to be.”
Another goal of Ochoa’s is to boost membership.
“I want to reach out to veterans from every era; not just World War II, Korea and Vietnam, but from the gulf wars, too,” explained Ochoa, herself a veteran of the Operation Desert Storm. “We need to get all our veterans involved with the post; after all, it’s here to serve them.”
Ochoa said she was surprised and humbled to be elected the post’s first female commander.
“I had no idea they would nominate me,” she recalled. “I was definitely surprised. It was an honor. It was really special to have my husband and two children there the night I was elected.”
Ochoa, 45, served in the U.S. Army from 1986 to 1991 as a flight operations officer.
She spent much of that time at an American air base in Germany helping oversee the flow of materials and troops to and from Iraq during Operation Desert Storm.
“I always had my gear packed and ready to go in case they needed to send me to the war zone,” she recalled. “I was ready to go at a moment’s notice.”
Her husband, Baldemar Ochoa, also is an Army veteran who served during Operation Desert Storm.
Ochoa’s parents are Natalio and Librada Guevara of Beeville. She has two brothers.
Ochoa said she understands that as post commander she now shoulders additional responsibilities.
“They placed a lot of faith in me and I’m not going to let them down,” she vowed.
post a comment
comments (0)
no comments yet