Four Central Texas veterans receive Congressional Veteran Commendation

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Four Central Texas veterans were honored Tuesday by Congressman Pete Sessions for their distinguished military service and contributions to the community.

Each veteran received the Congressional Veteran Commendation, a nominations-based award recognizing veterans in Texas’ 17th Congressional District.

Sessions has held the ceremony on Veterans Day for the past five years.

“We honor veterans. Members of the military who have retired, come back home, and given their service also back home,” Sessions explained.

Nola Saldana, who served in the Navy for 10 years, was among the recipients. She now supports veterans as a mental health caseworker at the Waco VA.

“I’m just honored to have this award… it means that maybe people appreciate the sacrifice that a lot of us have made for this country,” Saldana said.

William Matthews, a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, served for 24 years before dedicating three decades to education at Mexia ISD.

Martha Ybarra, a retired U.S. Air Force technical sergeant, had a 20-year military career before serving fellow veterans through the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Department of Veterans Affairs and numerous local organizations.

Danny Smith, a U.S. Army veteran who served 18 months in Vietnam, went on to devote 32 years to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

“I was just kind of humbled by it really, I keep thinking of a lot of people that deserve it more and it’ll happen,” Smith shared, “I’m just proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish in my life and this is just something else right on top of it”.

All four recipients were nominated by someone and hand-picked by last year’s recipients.

“They’re the people in the veterans community, they’re the people that understand the needs of veterans, they’re the people who are proud when a veteran does something really great in their community,” Sessions said.

State Senator Brian Birdwell, a veteran himself, attended the ceremony, thanking them for their service. “God bless each and every one of you,” he said.

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