With thanks to Kymbirlee Jeschke, Library Director, Hamilton Public Library
The January Artist of the Month, Patricia Lewis, triggered a forgotten memory with her painted horse. On US 281 near Hamilton, Texas, there was a restaurant and motel used by many travelers. It’s no longer there, but in the 1980s through 2005, outside the restaurant, mounted atop a pole, was the figure of a horse with spots of paint applied.
During the mid-1980s, graduates from Lackland AFB basic training were bussed to training bases for advanced training. The TMO at Lackland arranged for contract busses to take enlisted men and women to their next base. Shepard AFB at Wichita Falls, Texas, was one of those bases. In the winter of 1984-85, a contract bus load of airmen with an officer escort departed for Shepard and got as far as The Spotted Horse Café south of Hamilton, Texas, a scheduled rest stop for a meal and bathroom break. The weather had become a problem, an unexpected blizzard struck the area and the bus driver was unable to get his bus back on U.S. 281. The road was closed to traffic and emergency crews from Hamilton had their hands full being a crossroads for several highways.
The lieutenant in charge of the airmen called the TMO at Lackland for a solution to the problem. The TMO at Lackland called Air Training Command’s Transportation Staff for a solution. They brought the problem to the Director of Transportation who assessed the problem, called his boss to alert him of the problem and his plan of action. Meanwhile he had checked with Fort Hood’s Transportation officer. He then called the Lieutenant at The Spotted Horse Café.
Fort Hood was the nearest military installation, but was having its own problems with the weather. Telephones were working and the conversation went something like this: “Lieutenant this is Colonel X, it appears you are stuck there for the night. If there are rooms at the motel adjacent to the Café, you are authorized to use them.” A pause, “Sir there is only one room available and the female airmen want it. The restaurant staff are stuck here as well and will keep the place open until help arrives.” Another pause, “Lieutenant, you appear to have the situation under control. Any expenses you incur will be covered by the government and any questions you have during the night call me,” and gave the lieutenant his home phone number.
After a restless night with no calls, the colonel called the café the next morning from his home. The manager answered and background music almost drowned out his voice. “Who is this,” the manager asked and when told he said, “Your airman have partied all night and we’re serving them breakfast. I’ll get the lieutenant.”
The snow had stopped falling and road crews were clearing ‘281’ into Hamilton. By mid-morning the bus was enroute to Wichita Falls with a load of sleeping airmen. My guess is the airmen involved could tell a better story and never forgot their night at The Spotted Horse.
