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MEDIA ADVISORY
Media wishing to cover the Roll Call ceremony are invited to do so on Tuesday, January 24, 2017, at 10:15 a.m. and must arrive no later than 9:30 a.m. to allow for parking and coordination. Representatives from the Windham family and the Texas Military Department will be available for interviews following the ceremony.
Members of the media are required to RSVP no later than Monday, Jan. 23, 2017 by 4 p.m., with the State Public Affairs office at (o) 512-782-5620 or (m) 512-413-7574; email: ng.tx.txarng.mbx.pao@mail.mil.
Camp Mabry is accessed at the Maintenance Drive gate from 35th Street. Media will be required to show credentials at the gate.
FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLIC RELEASE:
Texas Army National Guard to conduct final roll call ceremony for honorary member Spc. Rowan Windham
AUSTIN, Texas (Jan. 19, 2017) - The Texas Army National Guard will conduct a final roll call ceremony for 10-year-old honorary Guardsman, Spc. Rowan Windham, at Camp Mabry, in Austin, Texas, Jan. 24, 2017 at 10:15 a.m.
Windham, of New Braunfels, passed away on Dec. 15, 2016, from complications related to stem cell transplant procedures due to his rare disorder, Shwachmann-Diamond Syndrome. The disorder affects the pancreas, gastro-intestinal tract, immune system, blood and bone marrow. Throughout his life, he spent over 1,500 days in the hospital, received dozens of blood transfusions and made nearly 100 trips to the operating room.
After telling his nurse at the Children’s Hospital in San Antonio, Sgt. David Hixson, who also serves in the Texas Army National Guard, that he “always wanted to be in the Army,” the Texas National Guard made that dream a reality.
On Mar. 27, 2015, at Camp Mabry, Windham became a private first class and enlisted as an honorary member of the 124th Cavalry Regiment, 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 36th Infantry Division and the 149th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, 36th Infantry Division. Windham was posthumously promoted to the rank of specialist earlier this month.
A final roll call ceremony is a military ritual designed to serve as a tribute paid by soldiers to their deceased comrade. It has its origin in the accountability roll call conducted by the unit first sergeant following combat called with the principle held by soldiers that all unit members will be accounted for, and none will ever be forgotten.
He is survived by his parents, Brian and Carrie Windham; his older brother, Ian; his older sister, Zoe; as well as many extended family members and close friends.
To learn more about Windham, visit his family’s blog http://www.rowansstory.blogspot.com.
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The mission of the Texas Military Department (TMD) is to provide the Governor and the President with ready and trained forces in support of the citizens of Texas and State and Federal civil/military authorities at home and abroad.
The Texas Military Department is commanded by the Adjutant General of Texas, the state's senior military official appointed by the governor, and is comprised of the Texas Military Department (formerly the Adjutant General's Department), the Texas Army National Guard (TXARNG), the Texas Air National Guard (TXANG), the Texas State Guard (TXSG) and the Domestic Operations Command (DOMOPS).
For more information about the Texas Military Department visit our Website at https://tmd.texas.gov.
Texas Military Department Public Affairs
P.O. Box 5218, Building 10
Camp Mabry (Austin), Texas 78703