Fannin Middle School students honor veterans

VETERANS REMEMBERED

  • Valerie French places a flag at a veteran’s headstone in J.P. Chastain Memorial Park.
    Valerie French places a flag at a veteran’s headstone in J.P. Chastain Memorial Park.
  • Emery Collins, standing, and Ayla Walton are listening to specific instructions as Ayla places a flag at the headstone of a veteran in J.P. Chastain Memorial Park. Fannin County Middle School students placed nearly 400 flags last Wednesday.
    Emery Collins, standing, and Ayla Walton are listening to specific instructions as Ayla places a flag at the headstone of a veteran in J.P. Chastain Memorial Park. Fannin County Middle School students placed nearly 400 flags last Wednesday.
  • Lukas Pack shows his respect for a deceased veteran as Mackenzie Duvall, Emma Chambers and Lauren Waters search a row of headstones for a veteran to honor. All are students at Fannin County Middle School.
    Lukas Pack shows his respect for a deceased veteran as Mackenzie Duvall, Emma Chambers and Lauren Waters search a row of headstones for a veteran to honor. All are students at Fannin County Middle School.
  • Kyle Allen places a flag at J.P. Chastain Memorial Park in Blue Ridge as veterans are honored for Memorial Day.
    Kyle Allen places a flag at J.P. Chastain Memorial Park in Blue Ridge as veterans are honored for Memorial Day.
  • Abigail Waters and Madison Queen heard about Bobby Franklin’s ultimate sacrifice during the Global War on Terrorism from Dwight Kay. Franklin, 38, was killed August 20, 2003, in Baghdad, Iraq, when the vehicle he was riding in was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED). Franklin, of Mineral Bluff, served with Detachment 2 of the 210th Military Police Company based in Murphy, North Carolina. He had been called to active duty as part of Iraqi Freedom. He left behind a wife and two children.
    Abigail Waters and Madison Queen heard about Bobby Franklin’s ultimate sacrifice during the Global War on Terrorism from Dwight Kay. Franklin, 38, was killed August 20, 2003, in Baghdad, Iraq, when the vehicle he was riding in was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED). Franklin, of Mineral Bluff, served with Detachment 2 of the 210th Military Police Company based in Murphy, North Carolina. He had been called to active duty as part of Iraqi Freedom. He left behind a wife and two children.

    Christy Kay is determined that area veterans will be honored and their sacrifices remembered.

    Fueled by that determination, she organized the American flag display that stands at the corner of highways 515 and 5 in Blue Ridge. The flags fly on Memorial Day, Veterans Day and July 4.

    This year, the Blue Ridge city councilwoman added another tribute, the placing of flags on the graves of veterans at J.P. Chastain Memorial Park in Blue Ridge.

    Kay coordinated with teachers at Fannin County Middle School, several area veterans, and Technical Sergeant John Tucker, Christian Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor at Mountain Area Christian Academy, to place the flags.

    Wednesday morning, May 22, a large group of students gathered in Veterans Memorial Park in front of the school as Tucker gave instructions on where to properly place the flags. He talked about placing coins on the headstones and what the coins meant.

    He explained the proper respect that should be displayed after flags were placed.

    Students fanned out to search the cemetery for the some 400 veterans’ graves known to exist there, placing flags one at a time.

    Several positive comments were heard from school teachers during the effort, and Kay said several parents called after hearing about the effort to voice their appreciation.

    She plans to continue the effort every Memorial Day.