First let me say that I am very appreciative of the volunteers, vendors, and contractors who have given of their time, materials, and labor to build a treatment facility for our veterans and their families. This past Saturday we were fortunate to have Marcus Luttrell and several in-service Navy Seals attend the ground breaking for the first Lone Survivor Retreat. While this is the very first facility that will be owned and managed by Lone Survivor Foundation, we are hoping for others to follow.
Upon arriving at my office this morning, I was shocked to hear of negative face book comments by several in our community who were offended because they were not “personally invited” to the groundbreaking. First let me say that this event and security was organized by Lone Survivor Foundation with a very limited budget. The foundation is very conscious of all expenditures that do not directly benefit our veterans. If everyone that had volunteered at Frog Fest, and all friends of the Foundation had been invited, there could have been over 1000 people present, which would have presented a significant security and crowd control situation, as well as major expense, to the Foundation. Also, the date was announced in the Beaumont Enterprise. The Sheriff’s Department, Cross Security, and private security were present to assure the safety of Marcus Luttrell as well the Navy Seals and their families who attended.
We do not live in a perfect world and it bothers me greatly that heroes like Marcus Luttrell must constantly secure their surroundings. There are those in this world that would like nothing more than to harm those that protect and serve this country. I am confident in the fact that no one on this peninsula would ever try to harm any of our soldiers, but I must accept the fact that it could happen and respect their need for security.
To those who were not able to attend, I can assure you that there will be a great celebration when we dedicate this facility, and everyone will be invited. Thanks to all who are helping, and special thanks to our soldiers who “NEVER QUIT”
Tim Byrom
Brint Construction Inc.
April 28, 2014
Posted in 
I understand that because this is such an emotional cause we all want to be involved. I do not volunteer to get anything in return, I do it because I want to help my community.
I am very proud to be a part of this community where some put their heart, soul and money into helping the men and women who keep us free.
Thank God for Marcus Lutrell, Brint Construction and all who volunteer to get this build going.
Jan Smith
Thank you for what you are doing on behalf of our veterans.
I am a Blue Star Mom, with one son currently in the 82nd Airborne, about to deploy to Afghanistan in November, and another son who served in the Marines in Okinawa.
More importantly to this topic…I am a homeowner in Crystal Beach- and lifelong Lover of our peninsula.
I am sure that EVERYONE would have wanted to attend! Especially so for those closely connected to the project. But it sounds as though we need a little soul searching to re-connect with the spirit of the project. In my mind….this is the perfect time to focus on the selflessness of our service men and women who are willing to sacrifice a great deal on our behalf. And maybe exhibit a bit of that ourselves.
What we are trying to do is to lift up and support our veterans – and in a way…say thank you. Right? Measuring in our minds what we are contributing and expecting something in return is the opposite of what this whole effort exemplifies. I bet that if we give it a minute, exhale and think about the bigger picture- some of that disappointment of not being included will subside.
I am proud of my community -let’s all raise the bar a little!
Very respectfully,
Sue Softy