The Pampa Chamber of Commerce recently hosted a Veterans Tribute, honoring our local service men and women for their sacrifice, loyalty, and unwavering dedication to preserving our country and our freedom.
Veterans, their families, and members of the community gathered under one roof to celebrate, with a few local veterans sharing their stories of how they entered the service and the impact it made on their own lives.
Introduction was held by Chamber CEO Cortnie Hale with prayer and Pledge of Allegiance led by Pampa veteran and VFW Post 1657 member, John Tripplehorn
“We often talk about service to our community, showing up for our neighbors, supporting local organizations, and working together to make Pampa stronger, but our veterans answered the call to serve something bigger than themselves, and we’re grateful for their commitment and sacrifice,” Cortnie said. “We are especially thankful for the Pampa VFW Post 1657 for partnering with us today to bring our panel together and to be here for this luncheon. I invite all of the veterans in the room to stand up so that we can acknowledge you and recognize you today.”
“Thank you to each of you for your service, your sacrifice, and the examples you continue to set, and we are honored to have you here today.”
“As we move through today, I encourage everyone to listen to the stories and perspectives being shared. Military service is something we can all appreciate, but not all of us have experienced it firsthand. Behind every uniform is a person, a family, and a story. Today is an opportunity to hear from our veterans right here in our community, and thank you again to the VFW Post 1657 for making this possible. Please help us welcome our friends from the VFW Post 1657 and today’s veterans panel.”
Aliyah Galvan
“Hello, my name is Aliyah Galvan and I served in the Army. I actually joined right after high school, signed as soon as I was 17. After I graduated, I had three days home and my parents sent me off. I remember when they used to call it ‘shark attack week’, right when you get on board to the bus and they’re sending you to basic, I remember thinking, ‘what the hell was I thinking?’ I wanted my mom! When I was in high school, I always thought, ‘I can’t wait to get out of the house.’ But I was wanting to get back home. After getting through all the good stuff, I graduated AIT. I actually went in to be small arms and artillery repair, so I worked on weapons. I’d say my favorite weapon to work on-we moved from the M-9s to the M-17s, so that wasn’t my favorite anymore, but I actually jumped into the 50-cals and the Mark-19s. We did a lot of work on the 240 Bravos, the 249s as well, so there was a lot of good stuff. I learned a lot of life lessons-the military broke me all the way down and built me all the way back up. I got to go out and travel. I was stationed in Fort Riley, KS, and that was a good time. Then we went out to Europe in Poland and Germany, and that was really great. That was actually during the Covid-19 era, so we lived in tents with each other. We couldn’t really be separated so we did quarantine together. I learned so much being out there. I finished my time, and the military helped me get me into school. I got into the renewable field and am currently working at the data center here in Pampa. I’m happy to be here and happy to meet all these nice VFW members. They welcomed me with open arms.”
Mike Havel
“My name is Mike Havel and I’m originally from Omaha, Nebraska. I admit I was actually a bad kid growing up. I came up in a really bad neighborhood, and the only thing I could think about doing was I wanted to play football in college, but decided I wanted to be a Marine. I joined the Marine Corps when I was 17, shipped off to bootcamp at 17 after graduation. I turned 18 while in bootcamp, and they had a heck of a party for me as you could probably imagine. We actually had an 18-mile hike on my 18th birthday, so every mile I heard, ‘happy birthday, Private Havel..’ After that, I went to Fort Knox and I was a tanker for four years. I actually went to Desert Storm as a tank operator, which was pretty awesome. I saw some pretty cool stuff and some stuff I thought I’d never see growing up in Omaha, Nebraska. I spent my first four years at Camp Pendleton, California at First Tank Battalion. Then I spent the next 16 years in Camp Pendleton, California in a different unit. I made what they call a lateral movement, meaning I went from being an 1811 which is a tank operator to an 0311 which is a very technical term for infantry. I became what they call an LAV crewman, so I was in a light-armored vehicle much like the Bradley. The Marine Corps version is Amphibious with eight wheels instead of tracks and a 25-MM main gun, which was a pretty cool piece of equipment. I spent 16 years in that unit deploying all over the world. I’ve spent 20 years total in the military, and if I had a chance to do it all again, I would. I miss it every day.”
Pat Montoya
“I’m Pat Montoya, and my wife Carmella and I have been here for 35 years now. We raised two daughters here in Pampa and one in Kansas. I was just a little over 17 when I went into the service. I tried the Marines but I was too small, I looked at the Navy but I didn’t like the water, so I went down to the Army and they showed me those big packs you have to carry and I said no, so I went to see the Air Force and they said, ‘come on!’ I went into boot camp and was stationed at the Clinton Air Force Base when I got out. That was in 1963 when John Fitzgerald Kennedy was killed and we were on lockdown for nine months. After that, I was transferred to an Air Force base in Korea. When I got back I stayed in California for 30 days and wandered around until finally a good friend of mine talked me into attending college at the Panhandle State University, and that’s where I met the young lady I married. I am currently the Quartermaster at the VFW and there’s several officers here today. We’d love for y’all to come down for Thanksgiving dinner on Friday, November 13 from 5 PM to 7:30 PM. It’s been a great time for me and my wife and kids here in Pampa. I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. God bless each and every one of you and God bless America.”
