Five things you didn’t know about Military City, USA ®

The Armed Forces River Parade is held every year on the River Walk. | Photo via @neohombre

The Armed Forces River Parade is held every year on the River Walk. | Photo via @neohombre

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San Antonio is home to one of the biggest populations of active military + veterans in the nation. So, when it comes to holidays like Veterans Day, we are nothing short of proud to honor and commemorate those who bravely served our country.

In celebration, we’ve rounded up a list of five things you may not know about this military hub.

🇺🇸 It’s not just a nickname

Since World War II, we’ve been called “Military City, USA’’. It wasn’t until 2017 that the City of San Antonio finally decided to make it official and trademark the phrase. We are Military City, USA ®. And, we couldn’t be more proud.

🇺🇸 Joint Base San Antonio is the official name + consolidation of our four bases

Fort Sam Houston, Camp Bullis, Randolph Air Force Base + Lackland Airforce Base expand across the Alamo City and contribute at least $41.3 billion to the Texas economy.

🇺🇸 There’s an army of peacocks

The Quadrangle is the oldest building at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston and is home to — you guessed it — an army of peacocks. Well, not an army but you can encounter a variety of wildlife including these colorful creatures roaming freely at this historic site.

🇺🇸 We are a Flag Making Headquarters

It’s true, we are so patriotic, we produce some of the most well-known flags flown across the country thanks to Dixie Flag and Banner Company. For instance, do you know the world’s largest free-flying flag at the George Washington Bridge in New York City? Yea, that’s us. If that doesn’t impress you, Dixie Flag has also manufactured flags for at least four presidential inaugurations.

Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery expands 338 acres. | Photo via @treywilsonattorneytx

Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery expands 338 acres. | Photo via @treywilsonattorneytx

🇺🇸 There are two national cemeteries that honor our heroes

Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery and San Antonio National Cemetery are both resting places for all members of the armed forces. If you’d like to pay your respects to a veteran this year, Wreaths Across America will make a stop at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery on Sat., Dec. 18 and is in need of volunteers + sponsors to lay wreaths on as many graves as possible. You can find more information here.

We hope you learned a thing or two about our beloved Military City, USA ® and a big thank you to those individuals who’ve served our country.

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