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I don’t know how many of my readers knew Jason Holbrook. I met him once or twice when he was in high school in Burnet, then did a story for the Burnet Bulletin when he was accepted into West Point. He didn’t have an easy time there, and was seriously considering quitting during his second year there. His father, then county commissioner, promised him a Corvette if he would stick it out and graduate. The third and fourth years went better than the first two, and Jason seemed to be doing very well the two or three times I spoke with him during that period (and he was always a very well-mannered, poised young man). I only remember seeing him once after he earned his Corvette, but he was a proud and confident young army officer when he was deployed to Afghanistan. I never met his young wife.

Last Thursday, Captain Jason Holbrook of the Army Special Forces became one of the 66 American military personnel to die in Afghanistan in July when he and his partner, Staff Sgt. Kyle R. Warren of Manchester, New Hampshire, were fatally wounded by an IED while on a reconnaissance patrol in the town of Tsagay, near Kabul, Afghanistan. They were both 28 years old.

As of noon on Tuesday, no one seemed to know when his body would arrive in Burnet, but there are plans in the works to line the highway from the airport to the funeral home with mourners and American flags. I’m hoping to hear in time to be there, and I know there are others in Llano who will want to pay their last respects to this genuine American hero. I hope somebody will give us enough notice to be part of this tribute.

Did you see the gliders last week? Thirty-two gliders were based at the Llano Municipal Airport for a week’s worth of soaring competition. It was a fascinating spectacle and a wonderful event; if anyone wanted to get a glider ride, but couldn’t, the Fault Line Flyers offer rides at a Demo Day the first Saturday of each month at their headquarters in Briggs (northeast from Bertram in Burnet County). This Friday and Saturday, the airport will be the venue for the annual Hammerfest aerobatics competition. Kudos to all involved with the airport; you must be doing something right!

This Friday night is also the evening for the First Friday Jam at Fuel Coffee House, an event which, this Friday, will serve as a fundraising event for musician Danny Brooks, who recently underwent quintuple bypass surgery. Drawings will be held for the raffle winners (get your tickets now at Fuel, Sweet Mesquite or One Trick Pony; you could win a custom belt buckle, a pair of corral boots or a solid mesquite bench!), and a special new drink named for Danny will be offered, with $1 going to the Danny fund for each one sold. The Grand Finale of the “30 days for Danny” fundraiser will be a silent auction at Fuel on August 12.

Speaking of Fuel, you can see and hear some of the “Free Burgers” goings-on on Jay Henderson’s new podcast

(hillcountrynews.net). He and Hank Wilson were there this past Sunday afternoon to interview me and film Darrell Staedtler and Brandy Lee Sanderson (among other things). You probably know Jay from his previous gig at KBAY radio, or from his musical performances at area events. Now he’s doing “Life in the Hill Country” via the internet.

Last Wednesday, I attended all four meetings of the Floodplain Community Panel. It was kind of a fiasco, as each commissioner went through the uncomfortable routine of tabling the agenda items and adjourning the meeting, but I think the panel is basically a good idea, and I hope they’ll get on track soon.

The committee that’s in charge of Llano’s “Starry Starry Night” and related Christmas festivities is already planning for a spectacular season, but we’ve got a bunch of great events in the meantime. The Starving Artist Sale and Show, the Gold & Gem Rendezvous, the Heritage Days celebration, the Chuck Wagon Cook-Off and the Ranch Rodeo all should be really fun times. We’ll try to keep you posted on all the latest developments; just keep on reading The Llano News!