Texas Lottery Veteran Recognition: Joseph Beal

Joe Beal, impressed by his older brother Dick, translated the ethic of servant management –

which shielded and preserved many below his command throughout Vietnam –

into the expansive subject of engineering and environmental consulting, and he continues to shepherd veterans and guarantee their voices and fight experiences are valued. 

Beal is a sixth-generation Texan. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas after which attended Texas Tech the place he studied to develop into a civil engineer. In 1967, his second to final 12 months at Texas Tech, Beal joined the ROTC and started his journey of wartime service. He was commissioned into the Army as a Second Lieutenant within the Medical Services Corps. 

Dick, older by 5 years, had already solid the Beal household line into Vietnam. He determined at an early age to commit his life to a army profession; Dick graduated from Texas A&M, was commissioned as an officer and served as a basic’s aide earlier than being among the many first items deployed into Vietnam in 1965. From afar, he and Joe corresponded by letters, and Dick, an infantry commander, helped to tell Joe concerning the realities of warfare and what Vietnam was going to be like.

From 1966-70, each Beal brothers have been deployed into Vietnam. Dick was ultimately promoted to the rank of colonel, taught at West Point, was a Brigade Commander and served below Colin Powell when Powell was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Dick handed away all of the sudden in 1989 within the Pentagon on the age of 48 and is buried in a spot of honor at Arlington National Cemetery.

“My brother is a hero – a highly decorated major during Vietnam and a real soldier’s soldier,” Joe stated. “I just tried to survive. I am not a hero, although we may have done heroic things. It was just happenstance, answering the moment.” 

Joe Beal was skilled in medical service at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio after which was despatched to the 82^nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Beal was assigned to the forty fourth Medical Brigade within the Republic of Vietnam. He served within the Central Highlands till being promoted to captain after which was assigned as a Detachment Commander. Though his unit’s main focus was preventative drugs, Beal realized there was spare time and different wants; the sphere suffered a big lack of medics. He allowed his staff to volunteer for fight, treating and eradicating wounded troopers from the upcoming hurt of the battlefield and serving to the native Helicopter Medical Evacuation Unit. Beal usually led his staff out prematurely of deliberate battles and had helicopters in place; he even helped within the working room when wanted.

With solely days remaining on his tour of responsibility, Beal was wounded throughout a medical civic motion task; he was evacuated to Japan and ultimately San Francisco, the place he recovered and acquired honorable medical discharge. Beal acquired quite a few army awards, together with the Bronze Star Medal. 

As his Army profession was winding down, Beal utilized to the grasp’s enterprise program on the University of Texas. Although his utility was initially denied, Beal negotiated for acceptance based mostly on his management and army fight expertise, and the UT registrar relented. He moved to Austin immediately from his restoration stint in San Francisco and earned his MBA, with focuses in finance and building administration, in 1979. 

“It was the smartest thing I ever did,” Beal stated. 

He quickly joined Espey Huston and Associates as one of many first staff and senior vice chairman. As the corporate skilled vital progress and enlargement, Beal stated his grasp’s training ready him to talk and collaborate with folks from any business, and he loved utilizing his engineer’s imaginative and prescient with a monetary aptitude to determine find out how to fund fascinating designs.

Beal retired in 1990 on the age of fifty, however quickly found one other line of service with the Lower Colorado River Authority. He joined as head of water and land sources, superior to basic supervisor and located success serving the folks of Texas. In addition, Beal additionally found which means in establishing a tradition of veteran recognition at LCRA. The group began to acknowledge Veterans Day and hosted inner celebrations. 

He continues to serve on the Board of Directors for Honor Flight Austin, which acknowledges veterans from World War I, Korean War and Vietnam, and flies teams to see their memorials in Washington D.C. Beal’s participation with Honor Flight helped him to personally combine his personal experiences with battle and loss. 

“In our era, you just did not talk about it. Our nation did not welcome back the returning Vietnam veterans. I didn’t tell anyone I served in Vietnam until post-Gulf War,” Beal stated. 

As the tempo of life modifications, usually upon retirement, many veterans –

together with Beal – start to expertise the signs of post-traumatic stress, and it helps to search out group and speak about these recollections and experiences. 

“It’s part of the healing process. You can cope and talk about it – get it into the open,” Beal stated. 

Thanks to the Texas Lottery, nice issues are occurring all throughout Texas. The Texas Lottery now persistently contributes greater than $1.6 billion of lottery income annually to good causes like public training and veterans’ help applications. Beginning with the primary veterans’ devoted scratch ticket recreation in 2009, the Texas Lottery has now contributed over $196 million to the Fund for Veterans’ Assistance. 

Since 1992, the Texas Lottery has generated greater than $35 billion in income for the state of Texas. Through strict adherence to their imaginative and prescient, mission and core values, the Texas Lottery is devoted to making sure that this assist continues.