Oak Ridge Today

State lawmakers seek photos of fallen Vietnam-era soldiers

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Randy McNally

Randy McNally

From WYSH Radio

Three local state legislators are seeking photos of Vietnam War veterans from Anderson County who were killed in action in order to honor the fallen heroes at a new facility that complements the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.

The photos are being sought by Tennessee Senator Randy McNally and Representative John Ragan, both Oak Ridge Republicans, and Dennis Powers, a Jacksboro Republican. The photos will be part of a multimedia display at the new facility, which will be built between the existing Wall and the Lincoln Memorial. The effort is part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, or VVMF.

Senator Mark Green, a Clarksville Republican who is heading up the effort statewide, enlisted the help of the local lawmakers in trying to locate missing photos of local veterans for the memorial. [Read more…]

Manhattan Project website launches

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Atomic Heritage Foundation Manhattan Project Website

Submitted

WASHINGTON, D.C.—With prospects for a Manhattan Project National Historical Park this year looking good, the Atomic Heritage Foundation is launching a timely new website for prospective visitors to the Manhattan Project communities at www.atomicheritage.org. The new park is expected to generate 500,000 or more tourists to Oak Ridge; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Hanford, Washington, during the next decade. As a preview of coming attractions, visitors can take a virtual tour now and immerse themselves in the Manhattan Project online.

With colorful photographs, an interactive timeline, extensive articles on Manhattan Project history, and oral histories of hundreds of Manhattan Project veterans, the new website will be an excellent resource. One feature is the powerful new interpretive tool called “Ranger in Your Pocket.” Based on a BYOD or “Bring Your Own Device” strategy, this technology-based tool represents a fundamental shift in engaging visitors by empowering them to use their personal smartphones or tablets to create their own tour experience. The first “Ranger in Your Pocket” tour is to the historic B Reactor at Hanford. Additional tours under construction will feature Los Alamos and Oak Ridge and draw from AHF’s extensive oral history collection as well as documentary footage and photographs. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools honor Memorial Day by participating in ‘Jeans for Troops’

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Submitted by Oak Ridge Schools

The Oak Ridge School District honored Memorial Day and the men and women who have died defending our country by raising funds for military veterans and their families.

On May 22, teachers took part in the 2014 “Jeans for Troops” fundraising drive benefiting the GI Go Fund, a nonprofit organization that helps veterans returning home find employment, go to college, access their health care and financial benefits, and link to housing.

During the drive, which has schools and companies from all across the country participating in, Oak Ridge Schools gave their employees the opportunity to wear jeans to work in exchange for a $5 donation to the GI Go Fund.

“For generations, America’s teachers have been responsible for educating America’s children,” said GI Go Fund Executive Director Jack Fanous. “They have always been individuals that mothers and fathers could rely on to set a positive example for their children. This Memorial Day, teachers around the country have set the example to our nation’s children that this holiday is more than just the first weekend of summer, and more than the year’s first barbecue. It is a day to remember the men and women who have fought and died to preserve our liberties, our freedoms, and the American way of life.” [Read more…]

Anderson County Memorial Day ceremony on Monday

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Memorial Day Ceremony

Anderson County Veterans Service Officer Leon Jaquet says Memorial Day is for honoring military personnel who have died in the nation’s wars. (File photo/May 2012)

Anderson County Veterans Services Director Leon Jaquet has announced plans for the county’s sixth annual Memorial Day ceremony. The annual event will be held on Monday, May 26—Memorial Day—at 10 a.m. rain or shine in front of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

The ceremony will include a wreath-laying at the Veterans Memorial in front of the Courthouse in Clinton as well as remarks from Tennessee Rep. John Ragan.

In a press release, Jaquet said the ceremony is held each year “to pay tribute to the men and women of the U.S. military who have given of their lives to protect the freedoms we all enjoy everyday.

“The day itself is sacred and war veterans need no reminder of the reason for it, but what about the general public, and more importantly the next generations? Do non-veterans really recognize and understand the importance of a day honoring their fellow Americans killed in wars around the world? Sacrifice is meaningless without remembrance. Everyone is invited to attend and show their support of our military past, present and future.”

Free franchising workshop for veterans on Wednesday

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Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is pictured above.

The Tennessee Small Business Development Center, in partnership with FranNet, will offer a free workshop on franchising for veterans on Wednesday.

The seminar is titled “Veterans and Franchising: A Perfect Fit!” It’s scheduled from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

This workshop will discuss misconceptions about franchising, as well as programs and incentives available to veterans, a press release said. [Read more…]

Roane County hires veteran service officer

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Roane County Executive Ron Woody announced Wednesday that Brian Dunn has been hired as veteran service officer, a new position in the county.

“The veteran service officer will serve all veterans, dependents, and survivors in Roane County,” Woody said. “The officer will have an office on the third floor of the courthouse in Kingston and will be available for home visits.”

Woody said highly qualified candidates applied for the job. [Read more…]

Clinton man among those honored for helping wounded vets

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Information from WYSH Radio

Josh Callihan of Maryville and Buzz Buffington of Clinton have been awarded regional honors by Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing for wounded and disabled veterans—Callihan as Tennessee Valley Region Participant of the Year and Buffington as Tennessee Valley Region Volunteer of the Year.

Both men have been active since the start of the year-old Knoxville Chapter of PHWFF, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the emotional and physical rehabilitation of wounded and disabled military veterans through fly fishing. [Read more…]

Weekly memorial for veterans moves to Municipal Building on Sunday

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Friendship Bell Repairs

A symbol of the friendship between Oak Ridge and Japan, the 20-year-old Friendship Bell at Alvin K. Bissell Park is closed while the city make repairs to the structure holding up the bell.

Since the structure housing the Friendship Bell is under repair for an indeterminate amount of time, the group that has met each week for more than 400 Sundays to ring the Friendship Bell in remembrance of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in recent years, for Anderson County veterans of American wars, will meet Sunday, Dec. 15, at the Veterans Memorial/Flag Pole in front of the Oak Ridge Municipal Building.

The memorial is at 12:20 p.m. Sunday.

The group, which varies in composition and number, plans to meet each week when the weather forecast is dry, a press release said. When the weather forecast is wet, the names to be read in memorium will be saved for the next gathering. [Read more…]

TORCH will count homeless in January, will train volunteers who want to help

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Each year in January, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, coordinating with county mayors in conjunction with the Tennessee Valley Coalition to End Homelessness, do what is called a Point in Time Count of the homeless. This is an unduplicated count on a single night of the people in a specific county who are experiencing homelessness.

The Point in Time Count of 2011 showed 28 homeless individuals. The PIT count of Jan. 24, 2013, found a total of 86 people were homeless (sheltered and unsheltered) and 68 people were precariously housed (almost homeless).

Unsheltered means that the people sleep outside without a roof over their heads or in places not fit for human habitation like a car or an abandoned building. Sheltered means that they were either in transitional housing such as half-way houses or they were actually living in a homeless shelter. Precariously housed are more commonly called “couch surfers.” They live at the homes of friends or family but do not have an address of their own. [Read more…]

ORNL: ‘Black Hawk Down’ commander still honors fallen soldiers

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Danny McKnight

Danny McKnight

Danny McKnight’s U.S Army Rangers’ unit was the focus of the movie “Black Hawk Down”—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…]

Guest column: White crosses, Normandy, and honoring veterans

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John Ragan

John Ragan

A few years ago, I traveled to France visiting the American Cemetery in Normandy on a guided tour. Our French guide was an expert on what we were seeing. A native to the region, she was steeped by her family lore in eyewitness accounts to the events of more than a half a century earlier.

That family background had spurred her to become a tour guide just before the 50th anniversary of D-Day. Her excellent knowledge of English and history convinced her employer, despite her youth, to assign her escort duties for American veterans visiting on that momentous occasion.

She spoke in a tone of reverence about the “older gentlemen” she had taken from place to place. Movingly, she recounted how they pointed here or there and commented how different something appeared compared to when they had seen it as young men. [Read more…]

Free admission, meals for veterans, military on Veterans Day

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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.”

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: Veterans Day Deals 2013. [Read more…]