JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
If your idea of a perfect Saturday afternoon included tons of tender steak, mountains of fajitas, and cornbread and cobbler as far as the eye can see, then you were at the right place March 30 for the annual Cowboys for Heroes chuckwagon event at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.
“If you look at cowboy values, they are pretty close to Army values,” said Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, commanding general, U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) and senior Army commander at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, as he welcomed visitors to the event.
Buchanan also thanked all the volunteer chuck wagon teams, the companies that donated the food and other items, the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston chaplains and others for their help and support.
The annual event drew thousands of aficionados of chuck wagon cooking and general cowboy-style fun.
And not only were there a cavalcade of chuckwagons serving a variety of beef stews, kabobs, chicken, beans, cobblers and more, there were arts and crafts, face painters, a family hayride, mechanical bull rides, pony rides for the young’uns and even a chance for kids to practice their ropin' skills as well.
Kids also were fascinated by a petting zoo with everything from tortoises to porcupines to alpacas and even a friendly boa constrictor.
Whether you enjoy your vittles barbecued or chicken-fried, in a stew or in a tortilla, there were few people in the hungry and appreciative crowd that went away with empty bellies. And even though the lines could be long, they moved quickly and efficiently and, oh my, was the wait ever worth it!