Outstanding DCHS Senior Golfer Mallory Sullivan has signed with Belmont University to play golf next season.
Mallory’s parents, James and Tonya Sullivan appeared with her during the signing at DCHS Thursday evening.
Sullivan said she is looking forward to playing golf at Belmont, where her sister Shay signed to play after her high school career. “It’s a great school. I’m going into business and I love the golf team. My sister (Shay) is already there. It just felt like a perfect fit for me”.
Mallory finished tied for fifth at the Class A/AA state golf tournament held recently at the Willowbrook Golf Club.
Sullivan, the only female from DCHS to compete in the state golf tournament all four years, carded a 3-over 75 to tie for a fifth place finish at 82-75—157, just a stroke away from a medal. She had the second lowest score on the second day of the tournament.
Mallory placed 11th in the state tournament as a freshman, second as a sophomore and tied for 14th as a junior.
“It’s been a blessing for me to coach an athlete of that caliber,” said DCHS Golf Coach Joe Pat Cope. “Her work ethic is so good. She is going to be a success at the college level because every day, if she is not playing, she is hitting balls, chipping, or working on her putting and that’s what it takes. She is willing to put in three or four hours every day and it shows in her game,” said Coach Cope.
“Mallory has worked really hard and we’re very excited that she has the opportunity to attend Belmont and get a great education and to continue to play the game she loves,” said Tonya Sullivan, Mallory’s mother.
Mallory’s father, James Sullivan said she began playing golf at a young age. “She started when she was in sixth grade. At first she didn’t want to follow in her sister’s footsteps but she saw what Shay was able to do and was very excited about that and decided to pick this up,” he said.
“We’re very excited and appreciate all the support shown Mallory from the school system and the community,” said Tonya Sullivan.
Sullivan’s head coach at Belmont will be Lissa Bradford.

The Smithville Mayor and Aldermen met in a workshop Monday night to begin discussions on offering a new water purchase agreement to the DeKalb Utility District.
The existing ten year agreement is set to expire as of December 31.
J.R. Wauford, the City’s Utility Engineer since 1962, met with the mayor and aldermen to make a suggestion. If the DUD will sell the city the water lines and customers connected at four of its metering points, the city may be willing to negotiate on the price it charges the DUD. Without an agreement or new water contract of some kind, the city may charge the DUD as much $7.50 per thousand gallons, the same as it charges other customers outside the city. DUD currently pays $2.05 per thousand gallons.
Wauford said those metering points at Evins Mill Road, Midway on the Old Sparta Road, Hobson Street, and Highway 56 North would allow for expansion of the Smithville Water System into areas most difficult for DUD to serve and provide the city a water service area which in some places also has city sewer service.
According to Wauford, the percentage of water sales to the DUD from the city to serve these metering points for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012 were as follows:
Evins Mill Road: 7.81%
Old Sparta Highway: 1.06%
Highway 56 North: 17.39%
Hobson Street: 4.82%
If the city loses DUD as a water customer with the construction of a new DUD water plant, Wauford said “our calculations indicate that water rates would have to be increased to city customers by a minimum of 20%”.
By expanding the city’s service area with these DUD metering points, Wauford said the city could possibly set an “incremental” water rate to DUD at a level so that rates for city customers would not have to rise. “We could look at what the incremental rate would be. In other words, what would it take if they (DUD) would sell you (city) those customers? What would your rate to them need to be to avoid having to raise rates on Smithville’s customers,”asked Wauford?
A recent study by Warren and Associates, paid for by the city, revealed that the actual cost for Smithville to produce water is $2.67 per thousand gallons. In April city officials discussed offering DUD a new ten year deal which would include selling them water at $2.20 per thousand gallons for the first five years of the contract and raising it to $2.40 per thousand gallons for the last five years. No official vote was taken but city officials sent the offer in writing to DUD officials a couple of days prior to the Tennessee Utility Management Review Board hearing which was held in Smithville to review DUD’s water rates. DUD officials later responded agreeing to accept the offer but without the minimum volume purchase requirement the city wanted as part of the proposal.
“The last contract that you submitted, we sent back a letter saying we would agree to it with certain modifications that didn’t impact on the price. From our standpoint, we’re waiting to hear back from you,” said Nashville attorney Dewey Branstetter, Jr. who represents the DeKalb Utility District.
“We certainly want to enter into negotiations and enter into something that works for everyone,” said Branstetter, who spoke during the workshop on behalf of the DUD.
In response, City attorney Vester Parsley said the city and DUD could have had a deal on a new water contract earlier, had the DUD not opposed a minimum purchase provision. “When we got the letter back, they (DUD) did say they liked our rate structure. However they didn’t like the quantity that we were requiring. That was the big sticking point. There was no quantity listed that they would accept. That sort of left us high and dry. They liked the rates we proposed but they weren’t willing to buy a certain quantity,” said Parsley.
Branstetter defended the DUD’s position on that point. “I think that is reasonable to expect. If we’re going to enter into a long term contract with the anticipation of building our own water treatment plant, it would not be realistic for us or in the best interest of our customers to enter into a minimum purchase amount. We might be able to do that while the plant was being constructed. We will anticipate needing to continue to buy water even once our water treatment plant is completed. Its anticipated we would want to buy some water from the city of Smithville and there may be points where its smart for you to buy some water from us somewhere down the road. We want to work together for something that is in the best interest of everyone, recognizing that DUD’s first obligation is to its own customers,” said Branstetter.
“Of course we’ve got an obligation to our customers too and we’re already charging them higher rates ($5.00 per thousand gallons) than we’re charging DUD ($2.05 per thousand gallons) and have been for years,” added City Attorney Parsley.
Plans for a new DUD water treatment plant are currently on hold because of a legal challenge in Davidson County Chancery Court by the City of Smithville and DUD ratepayers. No word yet on when the hearing will be held.
Since it was only a workshop, the aldermen could not act Monday night. City officials may forward a proposal based on Wauford’s recommendation to DUD and then vote on any accepted agreement at a regular or special city council meeting.
DUD Chairman Roger Turney and board members Joe Foutch and Hugh Washer attended the workshop along with DUD manager Jon Foutch.

A school bus with twenty students on board was involved a minor traffic accident Friday afternoon on Student’s Home Road near Magness Road.
No one was injured.
Central dispatch was notified at 3:38 p.m.
Trooper Bobby Johnson of the Tennessee Highway Patrol told WJLE that Faye Pollard, driving bus #08-25, was traveling south on Student’s Home Road as 45 year old Jose Tierranegra was going north on a John Deere tractor with a nursery tree digger attachment. According to Trooper Johnson the tractor and bus sideswiped on the narrow road as both vehicles were trying to negotiate a curve. Tierranegra works for the BFN Operations nursery company.
The bus was only dented at the point of impact. While the bus was still driveable, students were loaded onto another bus and taken home.
Director of Schools Mark Willoughby, Transportation Supervisor Jimmy Sprague, and Attendance Supervisor Joey Reeder were on the scene along with a sheriff’s deputy.

Donny Green, County Executive Director of the DeKalb/Cannon County Farm Service Agency (FSA), says that a printing/mailing contractor, hired to print and mail ballots nationwide for the Farm Service Agency, erroneously formatted the 2013 Farm Service Agency County Committee Election Ballots that were mailed out last week. As a result, the following notice was issued by the Farm Service Agency National Office:
“Recently you should have received a ballot for FSA County Committee election. As you may have noticed, your ballot was incorrectly printed with your name and address shown on the back of the actual ballot. This was a misprint, and these ballots cannot be used. Please destroy or recycle the ballot dated 07-03-13. If you have already voted, your ballot will be destroyed unopened. You will be receiving a new one by mid-December with a corrected election date. Please watch your mail for the new ballot and vote for the COC candidate of your choice. We apologize for the inconvenience.”
Green wants all of DeKalb and Cannon counties eligible voters to be aware of this printing mistake and that they should not purchase postage or travel to the county office to return these invalid ballots that were erroneously printed by the private contractor. “We want our eligible voters to have confidence in our County Committee Election process that has been the model of integrity allowing local farmers and ranchers to have a voice in local FSA program delivery and office administration. FSA’s County Committee is uniquely designed to allow farmers and ranchers to elect their peers who make decisions at the grassroots level,” says Green.
The DeKalb and Cannon County FSA Committees want to encourage voters in the Local Administrative Areas (LAA’s) up for election this year to be watching for the corrected ballots that will be mailed out by mid-December. It is vitally important that voters take the time to vote when these corrected ballots are received. As the Farm Service Agency gets more information on this matter and the corrective actions, additional news releases will be publicized.

The Motlow College McMinnville Center recently named Mr. and Miss Motlow for the 2013-14 academic year.
Miss Motlow is Katie Haggard, an elementary education major from Smithville.
Mr. Motlow is J.T. Morgan from McMinnville, who is majoring in history.
Mr. and Miss Motlow are chosen for each of Motlow’s four campuses, with those selected representing the college at social and educational functions throughout the academic year.

The Treasurer for the DeKalb Foster Children’s Fund is making an urgent plea for help during the holidays.
“We’re needing to get money for their Christmas gifts,” said Annette Greek.
Some nine thousand dollars is needed to serve the sixty children in foster care this Christmas and only two thousand dollars has been collected. “We’ve got sixty kids right now that have been removed from our county. DeKalb County is responsible for their Christmas needs. The state does not pay for this. We try to collect money each year for this project. I have collected not hardly two thousand dollars yet and it’s going to take nine thousand dollars to do the one hundred and fifty dollars per child that we have been trying to do the last few years,” said Greek.
“If anybody has it in their heart to help with this, please bring your donation to me at F.Z. Webb & Sons Gifts. I can take five dollars or whatever amount but if you can give five hundred or a thousand dollars that would be great. It takes all of us to make this happen for these children. There’s always a possibility we may have even more foster kids in December. It can happen,” said Greek.
The sooner you can make your donation, the better. “I try to have this done by the first week in December so I can get the money to the foster parents or to the children so they can do their shopping before Christmas. We send cash instead of gifts because the children are in so many different locations. If it’s not the right gift, it could be hard to exchange it so it’s easier to do cash,” she said.
You may send your donation to: Annette Greek, in care of F.Z. Webb & Sons Gifts, 400 West Public Square, Smithville TN 37166. For more information call 615-597-4186.

Two people charged in a March burglary and theft in Alexandria were sentenced in DeKalb County Criminal Court Wednesday.
Judge David Patterson presided.
30 year old Clayton Green pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and received a sentence of five years to serve at 30% before his release eligibility date. He was given jail credit from March 1, 2013 to June 16, 2013.
29 year old Rachel Green received a four year sentence after pleading guilty to aggravated burglary and theft over $1,000. She got four years for the burglary and two years in the theft case. The sentences are to run concurrently as one four year term to serve at 30%. She was given 256 days of jail credit. The terms will also run concurrently to charges against her in Smith, Wilson, and Franklin counties. She must make restitution.
Sheriff Patrick Ray told WJLE that after receiving information of a planned break-in at a residence on Lower Helton Road in Alexandria, his department conducted an undercover investigation, placing the home under surveillance. One of detectives saw Clayton and Rachel Green enter the house. When they came out, the two were detained for questioning. They were subsequently arrested.
According to Sheriff Ray, both Clayton and Rachel Green allegedly entered the residence through a garage door. The two allegedly took a camera, bag of assorted change, knife collection, 38 special Rossie revolver, a 22 Heritage pistol, a chain saw, nail guns, jig saw, 410 shotgun, a 12 gauge bolt action shotgun, several items of gold jewelry, and other things, all valued at over $1,000. Rachel also allegedly entered a pickup truck on the property and took a 22 caliber pistol valued at under $500. While under investigation for the burglary, Clayton Green, a convicted felon, was found to be in reach of two loaded handguns, a 38 and a 22 caliber. He told the officers that he was a convicted felon and was not allowed to have guns.
21 year old Shelly Renae Newby pleaded guilty to two counts of theft of property over $1,000. She received a two year sentence suspended to supervised probation in each case to run concurrently with each other and with sentences against her in Rutherford and Wilson counties.
Sheriff Ray told WJLE that on Saturday, January 19 Newby and a co-defendant, 29 year old Brandon Lynn Tallent allegedly took three tractor trailer starters and a cast iron intake from property on the Old Snow Hill Road. The items are valued at more than $1,000. Newby admitted to an officer that she and Tallent had taken items from this property on several occasions.
The next day on Sunday, January 20, Newby and Tallent allegedly took two trailers and small gasoline engines from the same property on the Old Snow Hill Road. These items are valued at more than $1,000. Newby admitted to an officer that she and Tallent had taken these items.
Meanwhile on Friday, January 25, Newby and Tallent went back to the same location and allegedly took val covers, a gas tank, an intake, and struts. These items are valued at less than $500. They were found in the back of Tallent’s vehicle after an officer pulled him over on a traffic stop. Newby admitted to the officer that she and Tallent had taken these items.
Tallent pleaded guilty by information in June to two counts of theft over $1,000 and received a four year sentence in each case to run concurrently with each other all suspended to supervised probation. He was ordered to make restitution to the victim.

Methamphetamine is a problem in DeKalb County and local law enforcement officers have been busy trying to put those who make meth out of business and behind bars.
Statistics released Monday by Sheriff Patrick Ray reveal that in DeKalb County the number of meth lab seizures is up compared to last year. “For the reporting year September 2011 to September 2012, DeKalb County law enforcement reported eight meth labs that were seized. From September 2012 to September 2013, there were fifteen reported meth labs, an increase of 87.5%,” said Sheriff Ray. “These are traced by the Tennessee Methamphetamine and Pharmaceutical Task Force. We send all of our reports in to the Task Force who keeps up with the statistics,” he said.
Statistics show that the meth problem is not just in DeKalb County. Others have also found more meth labs this past year. “Cannon County reported having eight more meth labs. DeKalb had seven more than the previous year. Smith County had six more. Wilson County had eight more and Putnam County had sixteen more,” said Sheriff Ray. “Putnam is one of the top five counties in the state and second highest in meth lab seizures for the year. Putnam had a total of 52 meth lab seizures reported this last year,” he said.
“Out of those 15 DeKalb County meth labs seized in 2012-2013, the Tennessee Highway Patrol reported getting one meth lab out of a vehicle. The Smithville Police Department reported two meth labs. One was at a trash or dump site. One was out of a vehicle. The sheriff’s department had twelve meth labs. Six of those were out of a dwelling. Three of them were out of a car. Three of them were at trash or dump sites. Out of the six meth labs found in a home, officers quarantined those dwellings. They put stickers on the front doors and back doors and filed with the meth task force that the residences had been quarantined,” said Sheriff Ray.
Once a home is quarantined, no one is allowed to enter other than authorized personnel, until that home is free of toxic hazards. “The owner of the property is required to have a hygienist come in and check to see if meth shows up there. It can be in the carpet or it might be on the walls and or ceilings. It’s just an examination to see if meth has ever been produced there in the home. The hygienist will come in and draw samples. It’s very expensive for a hygienist to do that. The samples they pull are very expensive. They will send off those samples to a lab which will then report back with the results on whether any methamphetamine has been cooked there. If so, the property is set up on a tier system. The lowest tier involves a cleanup, maybe washing the walls down or painting, etc. . If the home is on the high tier, it may have to be completely gutted. That could mean all the carpets, baseboards, walls, insulation, and ceiling would have to be replaced with new material. It’s very expensive and it’s all the land owner’s responsibility,” said Sheriff Ray.
Civil penalties may be assessed to renters who caused the damage but landowners would have to take them to court. “If the landowner is renting to somebody and this happens, they can sue the person for all the expense they are out to get the quarantine took off the home,” said Sheriff Ray.
If the landowner chooses to do nothing with the home under quarantine, the dwelling can’t be used for any purpose until its cleaned up. “Under that quarantine no one can enter the home, regardless of what it has in there. They can’t go in and get clothes or anything else like that. The only ones who are certified to go in are the hygienist who draws the samples, the contractors that go in and do the work, and anyone who has had the training in meth labs, but they all have to wear the protective clothing to go back in there to do whatever they need,” he said.
Once a meth lab is found, Sheriff Ray said reports must be completed and sent in to the Meth Task Force. “When we finish with a meth lab we’re required to fill out and send in paper work. There are usually three categories on the report to note where we found the meth lab. One is in a dwelling, whether it be a family dwelling, apartment etc. One is in a vehicle. If we find a meth lab in a vehicle in what we call a rolling meth lab, we will check that box on the report. The other one is a trash site or a dump site. That’s where the meth maker has finished up a cook and they have a lot of waste that is left over from that. They will pitch it beside of the road or maybe sneak up into a wooded area and dump it out of the back of their vehicle so as not to get caught. They don’t want anybody to see them doing it so they will sometimes try to hide it in a wooded area,” he said.
Pseudoephrine is a key ingredient in making meth and new laws have been passed in recent years placing limits on the sale of some over the counter cold and allergy medicines. “If you buy pseudoephedrine or any kind of cold medicine that has pseudoephedrine in it, you can only buy so much at a time. That’s why you have to show them your driver’s license and sign for it,” said Sheriff Ray. “Any individual is only allowed 3.6 grams of pseudoephedrine per day and not to exceed nine grams per month. There is a restriction on how much you can buy per day and per month. From September 2012 to September 2013, a total of 159 people were blocked which means they tried to buy more than 3.6 grams a day or more than nine grams per month. Of course not all of them were cooking meth,” said Sheriff Ray. “Some may have tried to buy it too quickly and the system rejected them where they couldn’t buy it. There were 659 who either made or attempted to make purchases of pseudoephedrine and there were 3,383 purchases of pseudoephedrine for DeKalb County from September 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013.,” he said.
If you suspect someone of making meth or committing any other crime in your community, Sheriff Ray urges you to call the crime tip line to report it. “I want to encourage the public to take advantage of our crime tip line to call in tips. It is 464- 6400. You may call and remain anonymous or call the Sheriff’s Department. The number is 597-4935. You may call and talk to me about crime going on in your community. We try our best to check every tip that we get. We want you to call those in. We appreciate you being our eyes and ears out in your communities. We ask you to keep calling in tips to us,” Sheriff Ray concluded.

Deputy District Attorney General Gary McKenzie, who supervises DeKalb, Cumberland, and White Counties, has announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for Criminal Judge Part I in the 13th Judicial District. The GOP primary is to be held on May 6, 2014.
The position is currently held by Democratic Judge Leon C. Burns, Jr. of Putnam County who has held the position since 1975. Burns has decided not to seek another term.
Born and raised in Meigs County Tennessee, McKenzie is the son of Freda McKenzie and the late Danny McKenzie. His father was a land surveyor. He married Amy in 1998 and they have 3 children. They attend Life Church in Cookeville.
McKenzie graduated from Tennessee Tech University in 1997 with a degree in Criminal Justice. He was named an All American Collegiate Scholar by the USAA. He was also awarded the Upper Cumberland Trial Lawyers Association Scholarship. Gary decided to move to Memphis and attend the Cecil C. Humphrey’s School of Law at the University of Memphis. He graduated in 2000. He sat for and passed the Bar Exam that same year. Gary immediately went to work for the 13th Judicial District, District Attorney General’s Office as an Assistant District Attorney.
In 2001 Gary was assigned to be the Lead Prosecutor for Cumberland County, the second largest county in the 13th Judicial District. Gary was the youngest attorney to be given this responsibility.
In 2004 Gary was selected to be the Special Meth Prosecutor, a position that was created in response to the Upper Cumberland region’s serious problems with the drug Methamphetamine. Gary worked closely with the Drug Task Force and the State Attorney’s Office. He also advised State legislators on the creation of laws to combat Methamphetamine.
In 2007 Gary was promoted to Deputy District Attorney General and supervises Cumberland, White, and DeKalb counties. He is Lead Prosecutor of all homicide and violent major crimes in these counties.
The district includes Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, and White Counties.

The men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our freedom were honored in a special Veterans Day program Monday morning at the DeKalb County Complex auditorium.
The observance featured performances of patriotic music by members of the DeKalb County High School Chorus and Band, a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by State Representative Terri Lynn Weaver, a poem in tribute to veterans read by Susan Hinton, and a keynote address by Sarah Tinch, a Veterans Benefit Representative.
(PLAY VIDEO BELOW OF VETERAN’S DAY PROGRAM)
M2U01333 from dwayne page on Vimeo.
The program was made more special with a group of veterans from World War II to the more recent wars who were seated on stage.
“It is a privilege to be with you to celebrate Veterans Day and it is an honor to be among the 21 million veterans alive today,” said Tinch in her remarks during the program.
(PLAY VIDEO OF DCHS CHORUS AND BAND BELOW)
M2U01337 from dwayne page on Vimeo.
“Today, we come together to remember, honor and pay tribute to our heroes – ordinary men and women who set aside their own personal freedom to defend and protect our nation from those who would threaten our way of life. They left the comfort of their homes and families for hostile lands far away to fight on foreign soil, so that we would never have to fight on our own soil – lands such as Iwo Jima, Seoul, Khe Sanh, and Fallujah. Ordinary men and women who did extraordinary things,” she said.
Tinch then asked the WWII veterans in attendance to stand and be recognized. Edward Frazier, Edsel Frazier, Guy Mathis, Doyle Smith, and Doyle Taylor, who all served in World War II, rose to their feet.
“December 7th marks 72 years since America was brought into World War II with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. These veterans are among more than 16,000,000 U.S. service members who fought on nearly every continent on earth to deliver the world from tyranny. It was the bloodiest war in our history, with more than 291,000 American casualties in battle, and more than 50,000,000 million people dying worldwide. When they returned home, these service members laid down their arms and went to work building the most prosperous nation we had ever known – earning them the title of America’s Greatest Generation.” said Tinch.
She then recognized veterans of the Korean Conflict. “This year marks the 60th anniversary of the cease fire agreement that ended the three year war. These veterans were among the 5,720,000 service members who served in the effort to prevent the spread of communism throughout Korea. During the Korean War, 33,686 American troops died to defend democracy for the Korean people. Since that time, the people living in North Korea, where communism flourished, have lived the past 60 years under a totalitarian regime in a land that is unable to feed its own people, and they live year after year in perpetual famine. Because of these veterans’ success in saving South Korea, they spared the more than 49,000,000 people living there from that same awful fate,” said Tinch.
Korean Conflict Veterans in attendance were Joe Payne, Walter Phillips, Corbin Keith, James Cantrell, Tom Lassiter, Al Evans, Tommy Webb, Walter Johnson, and Paul Cantrell.
In her remarks, Tinch also paid tribute to Vietnam War veterans.”These veterans were among the 8,744,000 Americans who served during the Vietnam era. Between 1964 and 1975, 1,789,000 service men and women were deployed to prevent the spread of communism into South Vietnam. These brave men went when their country called them to service. They did not flee the country or hide inside our educational institutions to avoid the draft. More than 35,000 died in theater defending democracy. Had they received the support from our government and the American people in their fight to win the war, the outcome for the South Vietnamese people, for our service members while in Vietnam and when they returned home, and for American history, would have been vastly different. The lessons we should always remember from that time are that we should never turn our backs on our men and women in the military, we must give them everything they need to be successful, and if we send them to war, we send them in to win. I personally want to say “WELCOME HOME”, Thank You For Your Sacrifice, and We Will Never Forget,” said Tinch
Vietnam era veterans at Monday’s observance were Charles Owens, Corbin Keith, Charles Cantrell, Kenneth Beshearse, William Edmonds, Jerry Hinton, George Oliver, Charlie Banks, David Petty, Corbin Keith, Rick Lee, Charles Parsley, Ronnie Redmon, Bill Fowler, Carlton Miller, Harold Blackwell, and Jerry Adcock.
Gulf War Operations Desert Storm and Desert Storm veterans were also honored. “Operation Desert Shield was a war against Iraq for their invasion of neighboring country Kuwait. Operation Desert Storm was to prevent the use of chemical and biological weapons use by Iraq. In the largest coalition of world nations since WWII, over 694,000 service men and women were deployed to the Gulf region between 1990 and 1991. 383 service members died during these operations. Their service and their sacrifice resulted in the liberation of Kuwait the prevention of chemical weapons use by Iraq on neighboring countries, followed by 10 years of sanctions on Iraq,” said Tinch.
Jerry Adcock and Arlene Cookie Hullett, who both served in Desert Storm and Desert Shield, Toni Fruehauf who served in the United State Air Force Reserve, Jimmy Sprague of Operation Just Cause, and Boyd Bruce Malone who served in Grenada and Desert Storm were all in attendance for the Veterans Day program along with veterans Bill Burgess and Charles Lane.
“Veterans who served during the Global War on Terror which began in 2001includes Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn, among others,” said Tinch. “This war is still ongoing. The Global War on Terror began as a result of the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on our country, and resulted in an international military campaign to focus on the elimination of al-Qaeda and other militant organizations from Afghanistan, Iraq, and other countries where these terrorist organizations are harbored. Following threats by Saddam Hussein of more terrorist attacks on the U.S., The U.S. invaded Iraq on March 20, 2003. Saddam Hussein was captured on Dec 13, 2003 and executed on Dec 30, 2006 for his crimes. Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011. To date, 1448 American service members have been killed, and 51,708 have been wounded in action in the Global War on Terror. The dictatorship in Iraq and the Taliban rule in Afghanistan have ended. The countries now hold elections and continue to progress in stabilizing their government and economies,” she said.
“America, and many parts of the world, could not enjoy the blessings of freedom and liberty without the service of our men and women fulfilling an extraordinary duty. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things,” said Tinch. “On Veterans Day, we remember and honor all those who wore the uniform. I am eternally grateful to our veterans for their service. I ask everyone to offer a sincere THANK YOU to a Veteran not only today, but every day. Your recognition of their service means more to most Veterans than any other reward,” Tinch concluded.
Susan Hinton delivered a poem by an unknown author called “Veterans In Your Honor”.
Unselfishly, you left your fathers and your mothers,
You left behind your sisters and your brothers.
Leaving your beloved children and wives,
You put on hold, your dreams your lives.
On foreign soil, you found yourself planted
To fight for those whose freedom you granted.
Without your sacrifice, their cause would be lost
But you carried onward, no matter the cost.
Many horrors you had endured and seen.
Many faces had haunted your dreams.
You cheered as your enemies littered the ground;
You cried as your brothers fell all around.
When it was over, you all came back home,
Some were left with memories to face all alone;
Some found themselves in the company of friends
As their crosses cast shadows across the land.
Those who survived were forever scarred
Emotionally, physically, permanently marred.
Those who did not now sleep eternally
Neath the ground they had given their lives to keep free.
With a hand upon my heart, I feel
The pride and respect; my reverence is revealed
In the tears that now stream down my upturned face
As our flag waves above you, in her glory and grace.
Freedom was the gift that you unselfishly gave
Pain and death was the price that you ultimately paid.
Every day, I give my utmost admiration
To those who had fought to defend our nation.
At the conclusion of the program, veterans boarded a school bus for a ride downtown to the site of the veterans memorial monument where a wreath was laid to commemorate Veteran’s Day. Sheriff Patrick Ray led the motorcade followed by DeKalb EMS, the bus carrying the veterans, the Smithville Volunteer Fire Department, and the Smithville Police Department.
As the wreath was laid, Judy Redmon read names of veterans who have passed away within the last year as a way to help remember them.
Emma Rigsby then played Taps to bring the day’s program to a close.
Veterans then boarded the bus again and were taken back to the county complex for a delicious Veteran’s Day meal served by Senior Citizens and members of Leadership DeKalb and the local chapter of Woodmen of the World.