SAN ANTONIO — Four decades of serving service members is coming to an end. Betty’s Battalion Bar, located just outside of Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, is closing this month.
The tavern is like a time capsule. Thousands of pictures of soldiers and military memorabilia cover each wall, while a parachute is draped under the ceiling.
This week, a U.S. Army veteran painstakingly removed every photo and packed them up.
“You should see the comments that are written on these walls,” Tom teared up. “I mean, people just love Betty. It makes me cry to think that she has to close down now.”
Betty Ford opened the establishment in December of 1985.
“We have freedom because of [service members],” said Ford. “They died left and right. My brother joined service when he was very young; Vietnam three times.”
For many, the bar became a home away from home.
However, it will soon shut down, and Ford says the decision was not hers.
“I think I am all cried out,” she said. “I have no more tears.”
Last spring, Snake Hill LLC bought the building. When her lease was up, Ford says she was not given the option to renew.
“About a month ago, [my landlord] said that he had signed the lease with someone else,” said Ford. “And I said, ‘What about me?’”
Even through 9/11, the pandemic and her battle with cancer, Ford says her rent was always paid on time.
She believes the Houston-based company is making room for retail.
Snake Hill LLC wouldn’t grant KENS 5 an interview. However, the company did release the following statement:
“We are committed to supporting San Antonio entrepreneurs and to investing and bringing new life to community retail centers that are deeply engaged into the fabric of the neighborhood they support. It is our practice not to discuss individual tenant negotiations with anyone but our tenants.”
“If they say I have to go, I have to go,” said Ford. “What else can I do?”
Patrons tell us Betty’s Battalion is much more than a bar.
“It’s affected people’s lives,” said wounded U.S. Army veteran Nicholas Beintema. “I mean, they have met girlfriends here, their wives. It’s a meeting spot for all branches of the military.”
If Ford goes, loyal customers say they will too.
“Whoever gets this place, you won’t get my business,” Tom said.
According to Ford, Snake Hill LLC told her to leave by the end of April. Her business is full of priceless items that will now go into storage, while she contemplates her next move.