Sam’s Club will honor military veterans and host a flag ceremony to dedicate its new club in La Marque. The new 136,000-square-foot club, which is relocating from its current location on Emmett Lowry Expressway in Texas City, will open March 21. Men and women from the Ellington Air Force Base will move the flag from the existing Sam’s Club in Texas City. A number of other local organizations will take part in the ceremony, including: •La Marque Mayor Bobby Hocking will offer the invocation •Dickinson High School Band will perform the national anthem •Members of the La Marque and Texas City Rotary Club will sing “God Bless America” •Special-needs students from Texas City High School will be among the VIPs Sam’s Club has a long tradition of honoring veterans and current members of the United States military. This flag ceremony serves to recognize veterans in the Galveston County area, while dedicating the new Sam’s Club building where more than 175 associates will work, including 40 new positions created by the relocation. Sam’s Club honors the military through a membership program for all active and retired military, civilian military employees and their spouses. Those who qualify receive a $15 gift card by either joining or renewing their membership. Additionally, beginning Memorial Day, Sam’s Club and parent company Walmart will offer a job to any honorably discharged veteran in his or her first 12 months off active duty. Most of these jobs will be in Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs, and some will be in distribution centers and the Home Office. This pledge is not the end of this effort; it’s the beginning. The company projects it will hire more than 100,000 veterans over the next five years. Community support will be extended during this military appreciation event. Sam’s Club will present a $1,000 grant to the Dickinson High School Band for an educational trip to Pearl Harbor. The Texas City and La Marque Rotary Clubs will also be recognized at the event.