The Sept. 11 meeting of the Southern Tennessee Ladies’ Society appropriately featured a patriotic theme on the 22^nd anniversary of 9/11.

The gathering, held at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church fellowship hall, was called to order by President Margaret Ann Thomas.

After greetings, a reading of a patriotic poem and a short business meeting, Vice President Sandy Shultz introduced the group’s guest speaker, Parker Lowndes with the Sam H. Werner Military Museum, located at 1148 W Main Street in Monteagle.

The nonprofit facility was opened in 2017 and showcases Werner’s extensive collection of military vehicles and other artifacts he has been collecting for more than 50 years. His collection encompasses items from World War I to the present.

The museum showcases each of these items in the hope that it will pay tribute to the country’s brave veterans and serve as a reminder for our younger generations.

Lowndes shared his knowledge and extensive collection of photos and slides from World War II. The museum has a complete collection of the four prototype lightweight jeeps for the 1943 glider program.

These jeeps were designed to be carried into Europe by gliders. The facility also has many items from the past 100 years, including 30 uniforms from local veterans.

Lowndes spoke passionately about the fascinating local military history including the history of Tullahoma’s Camp Forrest, one of the U.S. Army’s largest training bases during WWII.

He said that Sen. Prentice Cooper and Sen. Tom Stewart from Tennessee were instrumental in bringing Camp Forrest and the Oak Ridge facility to Tennessee.

The Oak Ridge facility operated with one goal in mind: enriching uranium for use in the world’s first atomic bombs. When Cooper became governor of Tennessee, he petitioned Congress for money to build these facilities and encouraged Tennesseans to be ready for war.

To learn more about the Sam H. Werner Military Museum, visit WernerMilitaryMuseum.com or visit the museum’s Facebook page. Admission is free Friday and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. from mid-April to Thanksgiving.

Group tours are available upon request. For information, email parker.lowndes@gmail.com or call 931-308-7854. To view a televised segment on the museum that was featured in 2022 on Nashville Public Television’s “Tennessee Crossroads,” go to youtu.be/D1VFVJLG1l0.  

STLS members enjoyed patriotic music provided by Christopher Smith, Sandra Holmes, Patty Whitaker, Debbie Zimmerman, Ellen Steadman and Pam Brown from Owens Chapel Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

On the anniversary of 9/11, STLS members urged everyone to never forget the 102 minutes between the first terrorist attack and the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001. The terrorist attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and injured more than 6,000 others in the worst attack against the homeland in United States history. 

The Southern Tennessee Ladies’ Society’s goal is to promote social fun and fellowship and provide educational scholarships.

For more information, visit facebook.com/SouthernTnLadiesSociety. Meetings are held the second Monday of each month at 9:30 a.m. at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The next meeting will be held on Oct. 9.

For reservations, call Tina at 931-967-4813 or email reply2stls@att.net. All ladies are welcome.