The 8th Annual Anderson County Veterans Day Parade is tonight in downtown Clinton.
This years’ theme is “Welcome Home for All Iraq/Afghanistan War Veterans.â€Â This year’s grand marshal will be all Anderson County Iraqi/Afghanistan War Veterans.
The parade starts at 6 p.m. today (Tuesday, November 11). It’s presented by the director of veterans services for Anderson County and the Clinton American Legion Post #172 in partnership with the Tennesseans for Living History. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Senior Center will honor the men and women who have served the United States both past and present with a pancake brunch on Veterans Day, Tuesday, November 11. Brunch will begin at 10:30 a.m. and be on a first-come, first-serve basis until the pancakes are gone.
This is a free event for seniors 50 and over, as well as veterans of any age.
For more information about this and other programs at the Oak Ridge Senior Center, like them on Facebook, call them at (865) 425-3999, or visit the website at orrecparks.org.
Lindsay M. Long
The U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office will have a Veterans Day program on Thursday, November 6, and it will feature keynote speaker and Marine Corps veteran Lindsay M. Long.
The program is designed to honor the “courageous men and women who serve and have served in our nation’s armed forces,” a press release said.
The program is scheduled from 10-11 a.m. Thursday at the American Museum of Science and Energy at 300 South Tulane Avenue. It’s open to employees and the public.
Performances include the Oak Ridge Celebration Choir, Lloyd Jones, and a recognition of veterans, and it will conclude with the sounding of “Taps†by USMC Retired Master Sergeant Maurice Parks.
Pictured above in front row are Ginny Howe, Gene Wenzel, and Elizabeth Shirley; second row, Jeff McDonald, Daniel Humphreys, Donna Forstrom, Joy Brown, Jim Lutrell, and Mary Lutrell; and third row, Ralph Pate and Sarah Pate.
Not pictured is Bobby Hensley. (Submitted photo)
In a combined effort, Veteran’s Day committee members from three Oak Ridge fraternal lodges donated $780 in gift cards to Ben Atchley State Veteran’s Home. The Fraternal Order of the Eagles, Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, and the Loyal Order of the Moose worked to collect donations during each lodge’s Veteran’s Day events. Ben Atchley State Veteran’s home was the charity of choice for each lodge’s Veteran’s Day committee.
On Thursday, Dec. 12, members from each lodge met at the Ben Atchley Home to deliver the gift cards. The gift cards purchased included Regal Cinema and three local restaurants. The veteran residents will enjoy several outings for dinner and a movie thanks to the donation.
“Thank you all so much for your overwhelming kindness and generosity of the gift cards for our well-deserving veterans,” said Ginny Howe, Ben Atchley’s programs coordinator. “We appreciate you more than you will ever know.”
Ernest Shepherd
Ernest Shepherd attended the Veterans Day ceremony on Monday at Oak Ridge National Laboratory wearing a uniform similar to what he wore in 1944 when the hospital he was working in as a medic in Belgium was hit with a German bomb.
Shepherd—89 years old and an ORNL retiree who treated wounded from the D-Day invasion prior to moving on to Belgium—would earn the Purple Heart for his heroics in the aftermath of the bombing.
“It blew out all the windows in that whole building,†recalled Shepherd, who was on the second floor when the bomb crashed into the hospital and exploded about 300 feet from where he was located. “It killed 29 people. There were between 12 to 15 air personnel killed, and one major who I really liked got killed. I got wounded in the face with shrapnel or flying glass. That’s how I earned the Purple Heart.†[Read more…]
Danny McKnight
Danny McKnight’s U.S Army Rangers’ unit was the focus of the movie “Black Hawk Downâ€â€”the story of a battle that occurred in Somalia 20 years ago.
McKnight told an audience at Oak Ridge National Laboratory on Monday, Veterans Day, that he visits the six graves of men who lost their lives in that battle every five years as he did this past October.
“It reminds me of how special they were and still are to me,†said McKnight, a 28.5-year veteran of the Rangers and author of the book “Streets of Mogidishu—Leadership at Its Best†that recounts the battle of Oct. 3-4, 1993. “I want people to know about it because I want people to understand that’s what we need to do. I never want to forget them. I don’t care if they’ve been gone 50 years. As long as I can walk, talk and breathe every five years, they’ll see me. I know they see me.”
Three hundred people recently attended the unit’s first reunion in 20 years in October when they met in Dallas. [Read more…]
The 7th Annual Anderson County Veterans Day Parade will be held at 6 p.m. today (Monday, Nov. 11) in downtown Clinton.
This year’s theme is “Showing Our County’s Veterans We Care.â€
The parade will start on Market Street in Clinton and move toward Main Street, passing in front of the Anderson County Courthouse.
Immediately after the parade, there will be a ceremony celebrating veterans featuring a “mini-concert†by local favorites Russ and Becky Jeffers in the Ritz Theater. [Read more…]
The Museum of Appalachia is offering free admission to veterans and active-duty military today, Veterans Day, and many restaurants and stores are offering free meals and discounts.
“We appreciate those who risk their lives for our country,†said Elaine Meyer, president of the Museum of Appalachia. “This is one way to recognize these people and show that we appreciate the sacrifices they’ve made.â€
The deals offered to veterans and stores and restaurants is included in a list forwarded by Anderson County Commissioner Steve Mead and Mary Murphy, the county commission’s chief deputy. It’s available here:Â Veterans Day Deals 2013. [Read more…]
Frozen Head State Park in Wartburg is pictured above. (Photo by Tennessee State Parks)
Veterans Day designated a Free State Park Day for Tennessee veterans
NASHVILLE – Tennessee State Parks announced Tuesday it will have its annual free state parks day for all Tennessee veterans, offering one free night of camping and/or a complimentary round of golf with appropriate identification. Veterans Day is Monday, Nov. 11.
“On Veterans Day, we honor the many brave men and women who have served our country,†Deputy Commissioner Brock Hill said in a press release. “The state parks family invites all of Tennessee’s veterans to visit us on Nov. 11 and enjoy a day in one of our beautiful parks.â€
A few of the parks closest to Oak Ridge include Frozen Head State Park in Wartburg, Cove Lake State Park in Caryville, and Big Ridge State Park in Maynardville. (See the Tennessee State Parks website for information on all the parks.) [Read more…]
The 6th annual Anderson County Veterans Day Parade starts at 6 p.m. today in downtown Clinton with the theme of “Showing Our Veterans We Care.â€
More than 50 entries have signed up for the annual parade, which will begin on Market Street, wind its way up Main Street, and turn right after the Anderson County Courthouse before ending at the Clinton Community Center. The parade will be followed by a ceremony honoring veterans at the Ritz Theater on Main Street.
The parade will be held even if it is raining, “unless the skies open up or thunderstorms pop up in the area,” according to WYSH Radio in Clinton. If that happens, the parade will be called off and everyone will head to the Ritz for the Veterans Day ceremony, but so far it looks like organizers will be able to get the parade in.”
The public is invited and encouraged to line the streets of downtown Clinton and show their appreciation for the nation’s veterans, WYSH said.
This story brought to you through an agreement between Oak Ridge Today and WYSH. See more local news headlines on the WYSH website at http://www.wyshradio.com/local_news.html.
John Becker
The Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra and Chorus will present a Veterans Day concert on Sunday in Maryville.
World War II veterans will be admitted free, and all other veterans can enjoy the concert at a reduced price, a press release said.
John Becker, WBIR news anchor, will narrate “The Greatest Generation” by Greg Danner, a composer from Cookeville, Tenn. Since April 2008, Becker has produced the TV series “Service and Sacrifice” on the lives of East Tennessee veterans.
ORSO will open the concert with “The Star Spangled Banner” (lyrics by Francis Scott Key and melody by John Stafford Smith) and close it with Morton Gould’s “American Salute” and Robert Lowden’s “Armed Forces Salute.”
The Oak Ridge Chorus, accompanied by ORSO, will sing Randall Thompson’s “Frostiana,” which provides a choral setting for seven poems by Robert Frost (1874-1963). These poems take a nostalgic look at New England country life.
The chorus and orchestra also will play John Williams’ “Hymn to the Fallen” (from the movie “Saving Private Ryanâ€).
The concert starts at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Clayton Center for the Arts at Maryville College, 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway.
Tickets can be purchased at the door for $25 (adult), $10 (college students 19 years or older, with ID), and $5 (students 18 years and younger).
Schedule, ticket and concert information, as well as driving directions to Maryville College, are available on the ORCMA website at www.orcma.org. To renew a season subscription or become a new subscriber at a discount, call the ORCMA office at (865) 483-5569.
A Veterans Day ceremony on Thursday in Oak Ridge will feature Freddie J. Owens, twice wounded in combat in Vietnam and a survivor of the 1962 Ia Drang Valley battle, the first major battle between the U.S. Army and the North Vietnam Army. (Submitted photo)
A Veterans Day program in Oak Ridge on Thursday will pay tribute to those who served and died in Vietnam.
The featured speaker is Freddie J. Owens, who was wounded in combat twice in Vietnam and is a survivor of the 1962 Ia Drang Valley battle, the first major battle between the U.S. Army and the North Vietnam Army, a press release said. Owens will discuss his experiences serving in Vietnam as a squad leader with the 1st Calvary Division (Air Assault).
Thursday’s program, titled “Our Forgotten Heroes,â€Â is hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office, and it is open to the public. It will start at 10 a.m. Thursday at the American Museum of Science and Energy at 200 S. Tulane Ave.
Owens’ military decorations include the Combat Infantry Badge, Air-Assault Badge with Star Cluster, Bronze Star with Valor Device, Purple Heart with Cluster, Air Medal with Combat Cluster, Presidential Unit Citation, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) Gallantry Cross, and Army Commendation medal.
The press release said Armistice Day was founded more than 90 years ago to recognize the sacrifices made by World War I veterans. Nov. 11 was the day chosen for the celebration and remembrance. It coincided with the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month—Nov. 11, 1918, when the armistice was signed, ending the war.
More than 48 million veterans have served the United States since its birth in 1776, and almost half are still alive today, the press release said. One of every 10 people in the country is a veteran.
For more information concerning ORO’s Veteran’s Support Group program, contact Ballard Jackson at the DOE Oak Ridge Office at (865) 241-6137 or [email protected].
