Turner Telegram: Thanksgiving Edition

It has been a busy few weeks in District 96!

As you may know, last week the Texas Lottery Commission began selling the Veterans Cash scratch-off game across the state – this is the new game that was created by the bill I passed last session.

On Monday, November 9, I held a press conference with Senators Chris Harris and Wendy Davis and numerous local veterans’ leaders to buy some of the first Veterans Cash tickets sold in Tarrant County. Although I didn’t win big, it is rewarding to know that the proceeds from my scratch-off purchase will go to the Fund for Veterans Assistance (FVA). When people across our great state buy these tickets, it will mean an estimated $9 million per year for veterans and their families.

On Wednesday and throughout the week, I had the privilege of honoring the men and women who so bravely served our nation in uniform by speaking at various Veterans’ Day events in House District 96. It is always an honor to meet those who served and to see members of what many have called the “Greatest Generation,” those who served during World World II, sitting in the same room with men and women who fought in Korean, Vietnam and in Iraq and Afghanistan. There may be differences in age and what and who they faced on the battle lines, but their desire to serve our nation in uniform to protect our freedom is the same. It was an honor to meet so many of these people in the last week.

If you would like to read my Veterans’ Day speech, which I gave at the Kennedale Senior Citizens Center Veterans Day Celebration, Crowley’s Deer Creek Elementary and the Arlington Elks Lodge Veterans Day event,please click here. It’s fitting that Veterans Day is only a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving – what more can we be grateful for in our nation than the sacrifice of those who have served?

As we approach Thanksgiving, I want to let you know how grateful I am for your friendship and support. The past year has been incredibly rewarding and I am grateful for the incredible opportunity to serve Tarrant County and our state.  I have been privilege to meet and work with some extraordinary people at home and in Austin over the last 11 months.  Most importantly, I am grateful for those around me, my wife Lisa, my family and my friends. We are very blessed, which is something I remind myself each day.