By Jo Moreland
Alpine Mountain Empire Chamber of Commerce For The Alpine Sun
The community rallied to help retired U.S. Army Sgt. Major James E. Bockman celebrate his birthday on Jan. 17 at the Alpine Veterans Wall of Honor!
Bockman’s daughter, businesswoman Dawn August of Coldwell Banker in Alpine, had less than a week to put out a public invitation. August, a member of Alpine’s VFW Bert Fuller Post 9578 and the Alpine Mountain Empire Chamber of Commerce, wanted to surprise her dad.
By Jo Moreland
Alpine Mountain Empire Chamber of Commerce For The Alpine Sun
The community rallied to help retired U.S. Army Sgt. Major James E. Bockman celebrate his birthday on Jan. 17 at the Alpine Veterans Wall of Honor!
Bockman’s daughter, businesswoman Dawn August of Coldwell Banker in Alpine, had less than a week to put out a public invitation. August, a member of Alpine’s VFW Bert Fuller Post 9578 and the Alpine Mountain Empire Chamber of Commerce, wanted to surprise her dad.
About 30 people, most of them strangers, helped the veteran celebrate.
“It was overwhelming,” Bockman said later. “They were a nice bunch. It was a good feeling.”
August thanked everyone who honored her father, who has been inducted into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame because of the many services he has done for veterans.
Bockman, a Green Beret, former Special Forces paratrooper and a Korean War vet, wasn’t able to attend last year when his plaque was placed on the Alpine Wall at 1830 Alpine Blvd.
August said the birthday celebration was perfect, even the weather.
“We appreciate the support from everyone,” the daughter said. “It was terrific. What happened, you can’t buy it.”
Veteran Dan Foster, chairman of the Wall’s Advisory Committee and the man who led the effort to create the memorial wall, emceed the short ceremony.
“I just think it’s all about two words . . . and that’s ‘Thank you,’” Foster said. “I want to make sure every man and woman who puts on a military uniform for our country hears us say ‘Thank you’ often.”
Built to hold 952 plaques honoring veterans, the wall now holds the names of almost700 men and women from all over the nation. Foster said many more names will be added at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30, in a public ceremony.
“We’re building two new wall extensions starting this week,” he said. “We can add another 300 plaques. I don’t know where we’ll go after that. We’re adding new heroes every 30 to 60 days.”
