Runners raise funds for veterans, honor 9/11 victims

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Thousands of area runners raised money Saturday for veterans and honored victims of the September 11 attacks.

About 3,000 runners took part in the Travis Manion Foundation 9/11 Heroes Run at Ellington Airport. This year's theme was "Honor the Fallen by Challenging the Living."

In addition to Houston, the run was held in Iraq, Afghanistan and 21 states across the U.S.

The Travis Manion Foundation works with veterans and the families of fallen service members. The foundation was named for U.S. Marines First Lieutenant Travis Manion who was killed in Iraq in 2007.

"It's grown into this national organization that's able to honor help and serve our veterans first responders and military community," James Brobyn, executive director, said.

Organizers of the event say the primary goal is to pay tribute to the thousands who were killed that day and the millions of men and women who have helped keep America safe in the 11 years that have followed -- a group that includes military personnel, police officers and firefighters.

"We are proud to be involved with this terrific event," Ellington General Manager Brian Rinehart said. "Ellington Airport already has a strong working relationship with the U.S. military and the Houston Police and Fire departments, so it makes perfect sense for us to be involved."

Half the proceeds from the local run go to the Travis Manion Foundation. The other half will be split between Assist the Officer, which helps Houston officers injured in the line of duty, and Team Red, White and Blue, which supports wounded veterans.

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Houston lawyer pleads guilty to scamming veterans

  HOUSTON -- A Houston attorney has pleaded guilty to scamming the finances of some veterans he was hired to help.

Prosecutors in Houston say 73-year-old Joe B. Phillips entered the pleas Tuesday.

Phillips was a court-appointed guardian or Department of Veterans Affairs-approved fiduciary for some veterans. Investigators didn't immediately say how much money was involved.

Phillips pleaded guilty to conspiracy to make false statements, misappropriation by a fiduciary and signing a false income tax return. He faces up to three years in prison for tax fraud and five years on the other counts.

His wife and assistant, 72-year-old Dorothy Phillips, in April pleaded guilty to conspiracy and making a false statement on an income tax return.

Phillips says his wife gambled extensively at Louisiana casinos from 2003 to 2007.

(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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2012 Impact a Hero Weekend honors veterans

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houstonians are honoring wounded veterans this weekend with the Impact a Hero organization.

The 2012 Impact a Hero Weekend kicked off Saturday morning with a 5-K walk, run and wheel at Mercer Stadium in Sugar Land.

Fifty wounded veterans were among the more than 2,000 participants.

Houston Texans Coach Gary Kubiak and the Texans Cheerleaders were there to offer their support.

After the walk, the Houston Astros hosted and honored severely wounded vets in a pre-game ceremony.

Impact a Hero also held a Hall of Fame fundraising gala and dinner Sunday evening at the Sugar Land Marriot Hotel, and there will be a golf challenge at 10am Monday at Champions Golf Club with professional golf star Jackie Burke serving as honorary chairman.

The weekend's events are organized in an effort to provide support for wounded veterans and their families in the Houston area, and to send a message of appreciation to the troops.

For more information, visit impactahero.org.

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Veterans exhibit in Sugar Land for Memorial Day weekend

  SUGAR LAND, TX (KTRK) -- The Wall That Heals traveling exhibit will be in Sugar Land for the Memorial Day weekend.

The exhibit was to be brought into Sugar Land on Tuesday. A replica of Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC, it has traveled to more than 300 cities across the country. Organized by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, an organization charged with preserving The Wall, the exhibit also includes an education area with pictures and military artifacts.

The display of the traveling exhibition at Sugar Land Memorial Park, 15300 University Blvd. from May 24 to 28, from 8am to 8pm, is planned to coincide with Memorial Day weekend and the city's Memorial Day ceremony.

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Proceeds from car show will help local veterans

Hundreds of cars were on display outside Reliant Stadium for the Houston Construction Industry Auto Show

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Car enthusiasts checked out some classic rides and helped local veterans at the same time Saturday.

Hundreds of cars were on display outside Reliant Stadium for the Houston Construction Industry Auto Show.

Proceeds will be used to build a new kitchen for US Veterans Midtown Terrace. It's a housing facility that provides counseling and job training for nearly 300 veterans.

"If this kitchen gets completed by March, it'll add another factor to their lives and some dignity that they've probably lost along the way, so it's just our way of giving back," said Gordon Clunn with Clunn Acoutsical Systems.

Auto show organizers say the event raised $250,000 toward the kitchen.

Groundbreaking is scheduled for August.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Local veterans head to Fredericksburg museum for service

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- On this 70th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, Montgomery County veterans are taking a road trip to honor the 2,400 Americans killed in the 1941 attack.

A group of veterans left about 6:15am from Montgomery High School. They're traveling to the "National Museum of the Pacific War" in Fredericksburg to attend a memorial service around lunch time.

This year's program will include a fly-over of World War II era aircraft. Pearl Harbor survivors and their descendants will lay wreaths.

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Houstonians honor veterans on Memorial Day

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houstonians turned out to honor the nation's war dead in special ceremony at Houston's Veterans' Cemetery on this Memorial Day.

This is the day we pay tribute to the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. Ceremonies are taking place throughout the Houston area and the nation.

Hundreds of people of all backgrounds gathered at this ceremony. They are drawn together with one goal -- to pay their respects to the brave men and women who died in the name of freedom.

A cannon salute kicked off the ceremony where Houstonians honored the fallen men and women of all US military branches -- Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. This holiday is an especially emotional one for the parents, children, and friends of those who have recently been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

There are many elements of the ceremony that are performed every year, including the riderless horse procession, the presentation of the colors and the singing of the National Anthem.

While everyone at the ceremony looks forward to those traditions, many of them honor the sacrifices made by military members, not just on Memorial Day, but every day, by reaching out to the families who are left behind. Many of those organizations, like the Gold Star Moms, are represented, as are military members who've served alongside those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Retired Marine Matt Duffy said, "I spent 10 years active duty in the Marine Corp, and 10 years active duty in the Texas State Guard, and I have a lot of friends that sacrificed. It's just a great day to come out, and cry, and think about all of their sacrifices."

Following the service, visitors fanned out all over the cemetery to visit gravesites. Some visited grandparents and great-grandparents who served many years ago but whose service will never be forgotten.

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