Putnam Veterans Day Ceremony Honors Those Who Fought For Freedom

Putnam County recognized the men and women who fought for our freedom in a Veterans Day ceremony held at the county courthouse Friday.

Mayor Randy Porter said the community remembers those who made the ultimate sacrifice and the families that share their memories.

“Even those families may have not been on the battlefields, they still suffered not knowing for days sometimes if their loved ones were safe,” Porter said. “To all of those, we say thank you.”

Porter introduced the Grand Marshalls for the Veterans Day parade. Ross Williams was a World War II Veteran and Army Veteran Dallas Vincent who served from 1952 to 1954. County Veterans Service Officer Mark Harris read a poem that Vincent wrote while serving in Korea called “Memory of the Unreturning.”

“We know there were those before who asked is this worth fighting for, and perhaps in years that lie ahead, we will think about those that lie here dead,” Harris read. “And how the life they gave kept our dearest one from dangerous graves. The memory of them will live once more for they knew that I was worth fighting for.”

During the ceremony, Veteran Mike Glass was honored by the Quilt of Valor Foundation for his service. Glass served during the Gulf War and Desert Storm in Afghanistan. He is the Cookeville ROTC President and a county veterans service officer.

Barbara Price leads a group from Soddy Daisy that handcrafted the quilts shared to veterans Friday. Price said the quilts are meant for healing, warmth and a thanks to those who served.

“We believe these quilts of valor have the ability to offer comfort,” Price said. “We hope when you experience dark times and in need of a warm grateful hug, you will wrap your quilt around yourself so we can provide the comfort we have sewn into every seam.”

Tracy Chamberlin with Wreaths Across America also spoke. Chamberlin said the Cookeville City Cemetery has been designated as an official wreath laying cemetery. Chamberlin said 495 veteran graves will get wreaths this December 17th.