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As time passes, younger generations have not given veterans the recognition they so deserve, and awareness needs to be increased about it, according to a Franklin County High School student who won a national essay contest on the subject.

Scotland Stewart, who captured victory recently in the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Voice of Democracy contest with his essay titled “Honor. Integrity. Loyalty. Service.,” addressed the audience at the annual Memorial Day service Monday at Franklin Memorial Gardens & Mausoleum in Winchester, explaining the reasons why he feels veterans are so important.

“These brave men and women fight the battles abroad so that we do not have to fight here at home. They provide the very liberty that allows us to enjoy the rights guaranteed in our Constitution, while placing themselves in harm’s way to do so. Imagine waking up every day knowing that day may be your last, having no certainty of your survival, with the possibility of being involved in a battle that may leave you dead or permanently injured.

“Consider constantly wondering if you will ever see your spouse or your children again. Understand that in order to return to the safety of your home, you must first survive an enemy assault intended to kill you. This horrifying scenario is the daily life of an active-duty military member. In a day and age where we bow down to singers and athletes, the very least we can do is thank and respect those who placed themselves in said scenarios. We as a society should contribute to causes and charities that help our nation’s veterans as well as vote for individuals that prioritize the needs of those who selflessly sacrifice their lives for us.

“Veterans of the United States military are important because they risked their lives on the battlefield so that we can safely live ours in the shadows of peace. In return, we owe them the same honor, integrity, loyalty and service we received from them in defense of our nation.”

The event featured retired U.S. Army Col. Clinton Williams, who had been a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War, as the keynote speaker.

The event was sponsored by Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 71; Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 1893; and the Franklin County American Legion, Post 44.

The event’s lineup included Master of Ceremonies Mike Foster, a Gulf War veteran and lifetime DAV and VFW member, welcoming the audience; the Pledge of Allegiance being recited by Vietnam Army veteran Ray Cutrell; Army Vietnam veteran Capt. Charley Watkins leading the invocation and ending the event with benediction; Dr. Jerry Anderson singing the national anthem and “God Bless the USA;” Clinton Vincent playing taps; and Todd Boswell playing bagpipes.

In addition to Clinton Williams, U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Larry E. Williams, who is the DAV adjutant and treasurer, addressed the audience.

Clinton Williams paid tribute to the 1.4 million U.S. service personnel who have died in battle since 1775.

He said veterans throughout history have been honored for the sacrifice they had given to their national causes.

Clinton Williams referred to a pyramid-shaped monument in the former Mesopotamia, now Syria, that dates back some 4,300 years.

“The ancient Greeks and Romans held annual events of remembrance of fallen warriors, placing flowers on their graves and holding public festivals and feasts in tribute to those who had died in battle,” he said.

However, Clinton Williams said Memorial Day events did not become formalized in the United States until after the Civil War, and a trend was started in 1868 to have Memorial Day at the end of May.

He said that today, Americans by the thousands gather throughout the nation at thousands of locations, 26 national military cemeteries and 36 federal memorials and cemeteries located in 17 foreign countries to remember U.S. veterans on Memorial Day.

Clinton Williams quoted U.S. Air Force Col. Walter Hitchcock who had made the iconic statement, “Freedom isn’t free.”

He said citizens should not forget that phrase or the sacrifices their fellow Americans have made in battle.

Clinton Williams paid tribute to his flight-school classmates who died in the Vietnam and Desert Storm wars.

“I am blessed to have known such men,” he said. “Our country has been blessed by countrymen such as these.”

Larry Williams said DAV Chapter 71 sponsors build wheelchair ramps for veterans, provide care packages for veterans in need and their widows and families and also assist in many other areas.

He said the veterans who died have been estimated at 1.245 million. However, Clinton Williams said the figure is probably closer to 1.4 million.

Larry Williams said Americans lost on the battlefield total more than the populations of Memphis, Chattanooga and Knoxville combined, plus the populations of Winchester, Manchester, Cowan and Huntland.

He emphasized that they need to recognized and remembered for the ultimate sacrifice they gave.

Foster read the names of veterans from Franklin County who gave their lives in service to their country which was followed by Clinton Vincent playing taps.

Veterans from Franklin County who died in World War I include:

Robert Ashley, Albert Banholzer, William J. Blansett, Harry Raymond Bohanan, Paul A. Bunn, Ernest J. Campbell, Henry C. Cates, William Oscar Clark, George W. Decker, Frank Epperson, Lester Evans, Enoch S. Foster, Thomas Gossage, Aubrey Grant, Robert Lee Hockersmith, William B. Hughes, Warnie Isbell, James L. Jones, Sam B. Kennerly, William M. Ledford, Arthur Marks, John T. Omohundro, Jeff D. Pack, Louis E. Pickney, Charles L. Russell, George D. Sheridan, Zeb Snelson, Benjamin G. St. John, Barney G. Taylor, Edward C. Tucker, Ike Turner, Peter J. Turney III, Thomas R. Wilhoit, David L. Wilson and Miles Woods.

Veterans from Franklin County who died in World War II include:

John Carwell Anderton, Murrell W. Anderton Jr., James Thomas Arnold, Patrick Ashburn, James Lenard Ashley, Palmer Sanford Awtrey, Ralph Thomas Barnes, Earl S. Bearden, Wilburn Lee Bradford, Robert Leon Brinlley, Charles Buchanan, Francis Addelbert Caldwell, Frank Castell, Charlie K. Castleberry, Johnnie C. Certain, Beverly I. Chadwell, Willi Childress, Thomas Hershel Clark, Felix Warren Coker, John Meigs Commers, Roy Metcalf Copeland Jr., John Davis Couch, Paul B. Crabtree, Don Aaron Daniel, James Audrey Davis, Melton Dickerson, John Frank Dotson, Ralph Edgar Dotson, George Lensey Epperson, James F. Eslick, Claude Ellis Evans, Thomas William Farris, Edward Erskin Foster, Edward Franz, Sammie Mack Garner, William L. Garner, Davis Robert Grant, James E. Hamilton, George David Hendley, Andrew J. Hendon Sr., James Hill, William Gordon Hill, James Clifton Holt, William Hornbuckle, Robert Luther Hughes;

Raymond Floyd Hulvey, Herman William Hunt, Charles William Hunter, James Corry Jackson, Marion Francis Jackson Jr., James R. Janey, Charles N. Jernigan, Paul R. Johnson, Charles James Juhan, Richard Allen Knott, David Lafayette Lynch Jr., Allen Lawrence McBee, Troy E. Mitchell, Charles Richard Money, Jessie Ray Moore, Thomas E. Murrell, George Clifton Myers, Leaburn D. Myers, Dwight Everette Nash, Walter Osborne, Fred Herbert Pack, James Clint Partin, John Leo Pickney, Ollie Ross Poe, Jack A. Past, H.B. Prince, Clyde Vance Proby, Herman Cornelius Reid, Haskell Dubose Rose, Jesse Berch Ross, Alton A. Shasteen, Louis Edward Simmons, Floyd Sims, James B. Skidmore, Claude J. Spencer, Ollie Steele, Osborne Stewart, John Arthur Taylor, George Wilson Temples Sr., William Aaron Vann, Joe D. Walker, James Howard Warren, James Gordon Weddington, Ernest Alex White, Willis L. Williams, Walter C. Willis, Billie B. Wiseman, Arnold Worthington and William Herman Yates.

Veterans from Franklin County who died in the Korean War include:

Howard G. Foster, Basil M. Grizzell Jr., Forrest M. Marshall, Willi Modena, Carl W. Payne Jr., James Rutledge, J.D. Sanders, Stanford G. Shahan, Franklin Shetters and Thomas W. Williams.

Veterans from Franklin County who died in the Vietnam War include:

Jackson Dillion Barnes, Jimmy Ray Clark, Charles Larry Housley, Joe L. Lujan Jr., Ronald Virgil Putnam, James Edward Robinson, George Rutledge Jr., Kenneth Parker Shasteen, John Henry Shetters, Gary D. Templeton and Randy Ward.

Veterans from Franklin County who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom include:

Nathan B. Clemons.

Veterans from Franklin County who died in Afghanistan include:

Gregory A. Posey and David A. Stephens.