[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6226488,"mediaKeyId","3508328-c3c679b42dc78f9a79350b2f4fca46d4","parentId",3508328,"title","Kerrville city manager and Army veteran urges focus on veterans' mental health at Memorial Day service","audioSeconds",108,"startMs",1151000,"endMs",1259000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3508328-c3c679b42dc78f9a79350b2f4fca46d4&start=1151&end=1259","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3508328-c3c679b42dc78f9a79350b2f4fca46d4/thumbnail_1151000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6226488/Kerr-County/Texas/Kerrville-city-manager-and-Army-veteran-urges-focus-on-veterans-mental-health-at-Memorial-Day-service","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6226488-41fadeaacbaac1843feed86a1622a664/orig.mp4?Expires=1770701381&Signature=INVEmPbzzy6ffhZR23Xqqe4sKpgQGeu1vOOSHa63avu40qjGijf1vIvl3CQhOgFxICrWY968IA4R2lbGTVAv~Wa3QJ8iFTxR4mk-NEJvrTHHuKradYqnHHPJ7GRO-lae73opZuVSfHd8eso80LhSpHw7RxW1w2Aq1EbbdkxauMokGqP78lKZetPO3qe6PT08x6yuJlDMF7uOeL~xN8kr7m2Z00psZ3ndFL9lDU9QAg5BvQvRRYFp4IbWwXc0MEr5mOh--pQqNZNhADCYOrSNj2qdzpQSDSCUFQqD2GbESlFM1PrsoVY4PFbD10Szm8vDIxdcORqXNnVLhf-lbDmtZQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kerr County, Texas","date","2025-05-26T16:18:00.563Z","article","KERR COUNTY — Dalton Rice, Kerrville city manager and a U.S. Army veteran, used his Memorial Day remarks to urge the community to recognize mental-health challenges among veterans and to provide ongoing support.

Rice, introduced as the guest speaker and identified as a U.S. Army veteran and city manager for Kerrville, told the crowd that Memorial Day \"is not a happy holiday\" and emphasized the continuing toll of service on mental health. \"Combat is terrifying. The chaos, the noise, the loss, it leaves a mark. But sometimes coming home brings a different kind of fear, a silent one, one that too many never overcome,\" Rice said.

He described veterans' mental-health struggles as \"a silent killer\" and said the community must be proactive: \"We must be willing to reach out, to speak up, to check-in.\" Rice also asked the audience how many had lost someone in uniform or knew someone who had; he said, \"Almost every hand went up,\" framing the scope of the issue as familiar to many in attendance.

Rice acknowledged gold star families in the audience and noted that Memorial Day is primarily a day of remembrance for those who \"did not come home,\" rather than a celebratory holiday. He urged attendees to carry forward the stories and legacies of the fallen and to support one another beyond the holiday.

Why it matters: Rice's remarks foreground veterans' mental-health risks at a high-profile local observance, urging ongoing community and peer support rather than limiting attention to a single commemorative day.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Kerr County Memorial Day Ceremony May 26, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Dalton Rice, Kerrville city manager and U.S. Army veteran, used his Memorial Day remarks to call attention to veterans' mental-health challenges, urging community members to 'reach out, to speak up, to check-in.'","taxTitle","taxId",54243,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6226493,"Kerr County ceremony adds two names to veterans wall, reads 89 fallen and holds wreath-laying",2718,0,2718000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3508328-c3c679b42dc78f9a79350b2f4fca46d4&start=0&end=2718","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3508328-c3c679b42dc78f9a79350b2f4fca46d4/thumbnail_0.jpg","/articles/6226493/Kerr-County/Texas/Kerr-County-ceremony-adds-two-names-to-veterans-wall-reads-89-fallen-and-holds-wreath-laying","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6226493-6f84244c4319d4289be7bfec65ed0f12/orig.mp4?Expires=1770701381&Signature=lgfGkneEIr1FJqiOjhKXMjLh0D0BhHYqPXEHBvvnu6vvCMoEbSLRG~PXMmNiHfUZQuI7eno6--WZ9l38u5f2-GIFPzfEP800MojMijb1kXx4r3UjnRzOUV5Lm3znwlsMqLSrTrTbcBry81XQ3HLi5Ue1ZOuRCyIjgSM4y5323tQgNp3hJMPtn524RclyM1JcGxuu5IADVn2PpfLNc-MejzUeSe8~6wfzUA-KU~wnef2bDOExjqkvtCsJj5nxezbn117xPo-uwt1ba~i7jf1MmKVmVIoZ5JDpnqlr~Q9HjXlmSops~wfyiwXSe8Tll~TKmlpk8l-0W1MUZujutJnCDQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","KERR COUNTY — Kerr County officials and veterans organizations added two names to the county veterans memorial and read the names of 89 fallen service members during a Memorial Day ceremony that included musical honors and a multi-organization wreath laying.

Jennifer Sanchez, a Kerr County veterans service officer, opened the ceremony and introduced Jeff Harris, City Councilman Place 2 and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, as emcee. Sanchez told the audience two names had been added to the memorial wall: Louis Amstoy and Dr. Bobby Templeton.

The recognition culminated in the public reading of the names of 89 local service members who died in conflicts from World War I through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran Ryan Haley read the list aloud. Judge Rob Kelly, Kerr County judge and a U.S. Army Reserve veteran, recited lines from the World War I poem \"In Flanders Fields.\" Chaplain David Zavala, chief of the chaplain service with the South Texas VA health care system and a U.S. Air Force retired chaplain, delivered the invocation and the benediction.

The ceremony included musical honors: Lieutenant Colonel George Eichner, U.S. Air Force retired, performed the national anthem and Tim Graham played \"Amazing Grace\" on bagpipes; the Hill Country Honor Guard, led by Commander Arna Rathke, U.S. Navy veteran, provided ceremonial volleys and Taps followed.

A wreath-laying sequence brought forward representatives from dozens of local groups and veterans organizations, including the Kerr County Veterans Service Office, Sons of the American Legion Post 2208, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1480, American Legion Post 208, Combat Veteran Motorcycle Association (CVMA), American Legion Riders 208 and the Kerr County Historical Commission. Organizers called groups forward in sequence to place wreaths at the memorial.

The ceremony closed with a moment of silence, a benediction and instructions to view a display of boots representing each name on the wall. \"If you'd still like to, please go look at the boots. We do recommend it just because it does represent each name on our wall, and it symbolizes their final march on their last battle,\" Sanchez said.

Why it matters: the additions to the memorial and the reading of names are central elements of Kerr County's annual Memorial Day observance, honoring local service members who did not return from military service and reinforcing community recognition of gold star families and veterans' organizations.","At a Kerr County Memorial Day service, officials added two names to the county veterans memorial, read the names of 89 service members from multiple conflicts and conducted a wreath-laying ceremony with local veteran organizations.","actionData","errors"]

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Kerrville city manager and Army veteran urges focus on veterans' mental health at Memorial Day service

Kerr County ceremony adds two names to veterans wall, reads 89 fallen and holds wreath-laying