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"Texans Defending Texas"
MEDIA ADVISORY
Media wishing to cover the honorary enlistment are welcome to do so on Friday, March 27, 2015, and must arrive no later than 10:45 a.m. to allow for parking and coordination.
Members of the media are required to coordinate coverage and RSVP no later than Thursday, March 26, 2015 by 11 a.m., with the state Public Affairs Office at 512-782-5620; email: ng.tx.txarng.mbx.pao@mail.mil.
Camp Mabry is accessed at the Maintenance Drive gate from 35th Street and media will be required to show credentials at the gate.
FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLIC RELEASE:
Texas Army National Guard to conduct honorary enlistment for child battling rare disorder
AUSTIN, Texas (March 23, 2015) – The Texas Army National Guard will conduct an honorary enlistment ceremony for an eight year-old boy at Camp Mabry, in Austin, Texas, March 27, 2015 at 11 a.m.
Rowan Windham, 8, of New Braunfels, has a rare disorder, Shwachmann-Diamond Syndrome, which affects the pancreas, gastro-intestinal tract, immune system, blood and bone marrow. In his eight years, he has spent over 900 days in the hospital, received dozens of blood transfusions and made 71 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,” Hixson relayed this wish to his leadership in the guard, who set about making Windham’s wish a reality.
Windham is scheduled to travel to Seattle in order to prepare for a bone marrow transplant the week following the ceremony.
To learn more about Windham, visit his blog http://www.rowansstory.blogspot.com.
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The mission of the Texas Military Forces (TXMF) 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 Forces are 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
Texas Military Forces Public Affairs
P.O. Box 5218, Building 10
Camp Mabry (Austin), Texas 78703