When faith and courage prevail

You’ve heard the adage, “not all heroes wear capes”.

That is a fact. In this article the heroes wear polo shirts and slacks.

A few years ago, 2022 to be exact, Cass County Judge Travis Ransom saw a need in our county for a Veterans Service Office (VSO).

“It was a long-term project of the county,” Ransom said. “Our county government is not political, it’s operational. As a Command Sergeant Major in the Army our job is to take care of people. That’s the way I feel about being a county judge, I want to take care of people.”

You see, veterans are heroes too. Veterans have selflessly sacrificed, often risking their lives to defend freedoms, embodying core values of duty, courage and service to a cause greater than themselves. They are honored for their willingness to serve, their commitment to the nation and their resilience in over- coming challenges.

Vets helping vets. So, Ransom went to work on obtaining grants for a VSO office in Cass County.

“We didn’t have the money in the budget for a VSO office or officers to run it, so I looked into the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) and looked into their grant programs. I applied for a grant program and we received one and that’s what started us,” Ransom remarked.

Once the foundation was laid the rest fell into place. “Once we got the one grant we expanded that to a second grant for the direct financial support to veterans which helps with utility assistance,” Ransom added. “We were not initially approved for a second program but once we talked with the Texas Veterans Commissioners and told them our story of how there aren’t a lot of veteran’s services in our area they approved us for that second program which is the Homes for Texas Heroes. That’s the program that’s helping Debbie get a roof.”

So, who is Debbie that Judge Ransom mentioned? Debbie Rhyne is the surviving spouse of Donald Rhyne, a veteran who passed away last October, and needed some help with the roof on her home.

Donald Rhyne, a.k.a. Pappy, and Debbie were married 40 1/2 years. He was in the U.S. Army from 1971 to 1973. He was a nuclear missile crewman stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany and served with his older brother Ronald.

After returning home, he worked at the Highway Dept as a painter and retired after 35 years.

Donald passed away from melanoma on Oct. 22 at M.D. Anderson.

Rhyne’s roof was in desperate need of repair, so she began making calls to get pointed in the right direction for some help.

“I contacted Judge Ransom who put me in contact with Gary Foster at the VSO,” Rhyne said. “Gary listened to my story. When I asked about how to apply for a loan from the VA (Veteran’s Affairs) for help with my roof, Foster held his finger up and said, ‘let’s put a pin in it’. I was already emotional talking about Donald, but when Gary told me they weren’t going to give me a loan but give me a roof I started bawling. I was so excited and so emotional about it.”

Rhyne was approved for both the financial assistance and Homes for Texas Heroes program.

To be eligible for the program, the veteran must have been discharged as Honorable or General and have a total household income of less than $64,500 per year. Under the program, the county is able to assist with mortgage, rent and approved utilities.

The Homes for Texas Heroes Program is designed to help Texans who serve their country and communities get the money and support they need to buy a home or help with much needed upgrades. The program serves veterans, active military, educators, police officers, firefighters, EMS, county jailers and correctional officers.

The heroes in our local VSO are veterans themselves. Judge Ransom has served 28 years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve and still serves as the Division Command Sergeant Major for the Military Intelligence Readiness Command.

Gary Foster, who handles financial assistance, was in the Marines for four years and in the Texas National Guard for six years, Andy Cockrum, who assists with home grant modifications, was in the U.S. Army for eight years and Holly Meade, who helps with filing claims, was in the Air Force for 4-plus years.

Foster talked about what he does in the process of it all. “I help with financial assistance. Andy does the second grant which is the Homes for Texas Heroes. My program provides direct financial aid in the form of rent, mortgage and utility bills. Those utilities include water, gas, internet, electric, phone and trash pickup,” Foster said. “Both of these programs are through grants from the Texas Veterans Commission. The fund for financial aid is fully funded through lottery ticket sales and from donations through licenses like drivers, hunting and fishing. I know people may be hesitant to donate a dollar sometimes, but the money does go back into our communities to help our veterans and their families. Certain scratch off tickets fund them. You can Google Texas lottery to help Texas veterans and it will give you a list of those scratch off tickets that help. I tell everyone I don’t encourage anyone to gamble but if you buy those tickets and you don’t win, veterans in your community win. There are no tax dollars used at all.”

The Cass County VSO was awarded a $750,000 Fund for Veterans’ Assistance (FVA) grant from the TVC a few months ago.

Of the $750,000, $400,000 has been allotted to Homes for Texas Heroes and $350,000 for financial assistance. Cass County has been awarded FVA grants for the past three years.

Since July of 2025 the Cass County VSO has had 11 projects.

“Last year $43 million was given out to Texas veterans and $750,000 of it came here to Cass County. It really makes a difference,” Foster said. “One of the things we do very well at the VSO is that we are able to show them what we do with the money. We have an amazing staff, the people in our county are very supportive of us, the county commissioners and Judge Ransom are very supportive. We work very closely with other Cass County offices. Andy works closely with the County Clerk’s Office to be able to get deeds and such. Andy, Holly and I are the faces of the program, but it is a county-wide effort.”

Cockrum added, “I inspect the homes, take photos, do paperwork for home modifications and such. Homes for Texas Heroes is a grant set up to help surviving spouses and veterans with weatherization of their home, mobility issues, terrible roof issues and other things. We can aid in getting a new roof or tubs for those who have mobility issues or need doors widened. Reach out to us and we’ll see if we can help but know that there are requirements. You must be considered low income for our area, which is under $64,500. You must own your home or be paying on a mortgage and you must be current on your taxes.

Seeing how God works in this situation is that Rhyne had no idea where to begin and even that day she spoke with Foster and Cockrum, she had just paid her land taxes.

So, Rhyne has a new roof as of this article and she thanks the dapper dressed heroes at the Cass County VSO.

That’s what happens when faith and courage prevail. Foster ended the interview talking about the outreach in our area for veterans.

“How we reach veterans is we do any outreach we can do. We have two local American Legions in Atlanta and Hughes Springs. I urge every veteran to join one of those organizations,” Foster remarked. “I’m a member of several different organizations that have their own little niches but the American Legion is for everyone. They go to Austin and Washington DC. We go to community events, Lions Clubs, interviews and Judge Ransom has a very active social media presence. He keeps everyone informed. We’re listed on the county website and if you go to the Texas Veterans Commission website and put in “you need help and where you live” we pop up.”

“Also, veterans strive for community. Most are alone and want to connect,” Foster said “Lee Warren, owner of Fire and Knives in Linden, set something up in Nov. of 2024, called the Veterans Social Hour. We try to have a guest speaker, and we try to keep people updated. Veterans and their families can come and enjoy great food and commune with one another. The event is on the first Thursday of every month from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. It’s family friendly.”

If you know of anyone who may qualify for assistance or needs help overall send them to the Cass County VSO office located at 604 TX Hwy 8N in Linden, Texas 75563 or call 903-756-5221.