One hundred eighty-four years have passed since the Alamo defenders gave their lives for Texas’ independence at the Battle of the Alamo. From the moment General Antonio López de Santa Anna and the Mexican Army arrived outside the mission walls, where the Alamo Plaza exists today, the Texan forces knew the sacrifice they had to make.

Their bravery in the face of certain death is why we, at Alamo Trust, work year-round to honor their memory and educate millions of visitors about why we remember the Alamo almost two centuries after the battle.

Our work culminates every year during Commemoration, February 22 through March 7 this year, where we provide the public with special events, tours, daily programming, and demonstrations to preserve the legacy of the defenders. We’re proud of our Commemoration programming and eager to share it with you.

Events like An Evening With Heroes, Never Surrender or Retreat, and The Immortal 32 Arrive bring history to life through multi-faceted, living history demonstrations. Interactive demonstrations like these help us understand the defenders not just as names in a history book, but real people who were just like us.

Alamo Trust is proud to partner with organizations like the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, the Sons of the Republic of Texas, The Grand Lodge of Texas, and the San Antonio Living History Association to tell and honor the amazing history of Texas. Events like Remember The Defenders and, my personal favorite, Dawn at the Alamo on March 6—attended last year by Empower Texans CEO Michael Quinn Sullivan—show the public how much the impact of the battle has had on Texas and the United States, and transformed the Western Hemisphere.

We strive to tell the history of the Battle of the Alamo as accurately as possible, with respect and reverence for all those who lived, fought, and died here. We accomplish this by using centuries of research, artifacts, letters, manuals, and other primary sources to present the most accurate portrayal of life in the 1830s as possible.

I implore you to visit the Alamo with an open mind between February 22 and March 7 this year. Put aside what you think you may think you know about the Alamo, and judge it by your own experience during the time of the year when the defenders are at the forefront of our thoughts.

Remembering the sacrifice these heroes made in the winter of 1836—men like David Crockett, William Barret Travis, James Bowie, and José Toribio Losoya—is the duty of all Texans. We owe it to them and hope you will join us as we pay tribute to the Alamo defenders during Commemoration this year.

This is a commentary submitted and published with the author’s permission. If you wish to submit a commentary to Texas Scorecard, please submit your article to submission@texasscorecard.com.

Doug McDonald

Doug McDonald is the CEO of The Alamo.

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