Line Up for Operation Float a Soldier

Bring your patriotism to Canyon Lake and seriously wave that American flag for wounded veterans and their families 9:45 a.m. Saturday for First OFAS Summer Event at the Fort Sam side of Jacobs Creek, 10172 FM 306.

Park on either side of Jacobs Creek Park Road.

Veterans will pass by in a bus from 9:45 to 10:30 a.m. headed into the park accompanied and by a motorcycle escort.

Operation Float a Soldier (OFAS) provides lunch, boating, jet ski and fishing-and-lake activities for active and retired military personnel injured in the line of duty or suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Accompanying military personnel and their families in the parade are OFAS volunteers, motorcycle clubs and a flotilla of cars driven by area residents.

The Second OFAS Summer Event is scheduled for July 21, followed by the Third OFAS Event on Aug. 4.

About OFAS

Canyon Lake’s OFAS is a volunteer-run nonprofit 501(c)(3) ministry.

An OFAS event in June drew over 119 veterans and family members. Some 64 residents volunteered.

According to floatasoldier.org, the group’s mission “is to improve the lives and lift the spirits of wounded soldiers and their families through recreational outings on beautiful Canyon Lake. We hope to nourish the souls of our injured heroes by providing them with a respite from grueling rehab and the psychological struggles caused by their injuries of war.”

Residents who’d like to volunteer their registered and insured boats to take veterans and their families on non-alcoholic cruises around the lake can email Faron Smith at faron@floatasoldier.org.

For more information, email faron@floatasoldier.org. To donate funds, visit floatasoldier.org.

OFAS owns three retired pontoon boats from Canyon Lake Marina, but the retired vessels are expensive to maintain. The group is trying to raise funds for a tritoon.