Veterans Spotlight
Exceptional valor and intrepidity. Unprecedented strength and bravery. Fiery patriotism and determination. These are words that can describe those who have so valiantly served our country. At Oliver Springs High School, we are vastly fortunate to have so many of these brave men and women who selflessly decided to dedicate themselves to service within our school family. In observance of this past Veteran’s Day, it is with great pride and reverence that The OS Press presents to our readers a list of those individuals to honor them and their distinguished service:
Steve Alcorn, Army
Richard Allen, Gunner’s Mate, Navy, Korean War
Donald Ambrose Sr., Navy, Korean War
Donald “Rick” Ambrose Jr., Staff Sergeant E-6, Army, Vietnam War
“My dad and his friends competed with another group of people, and whoever could disassemble a tank the fastest received a steak dinner.”
- Brooklyn Ambrose, Junior
Enoch Banks, Army
Michael Boothe, Active Duty (Stationed at Fort Benning)
Spencer Boothe, Marines, 1979-1981
Rick Brannon, Navy
Elmer Wesley Brown, Master Sergeant E-7, Army, Desert Storm
Matthew Brown, Specialist, Army
Jonas Buring, Marines (served 24 years)
Chris Carroll, Army, Vietnam War
Maurice Carter, Army, Desert Storm
Michael Chadwell, Lieutenant, Navy, Vietnam and Peacetime
“The time: fall, 1971. The place: a tiny parking lot of Roane State Community College, at the original location in the old Fairmont Elementary School in south Harriman.
I was one of the first group of 300 or so students in RSCC’s inaugural semester. I sat in my van, looking at a letter from the Selective Service (a.k.a., ‘draft notice’), knowing my life was about to change.
My draft number, 76 (out of 125), clearly indicated that I was going into the military, whether I wanted to or not.
I decided to enlist in the United States Navy, following in the footsteps of my older brother and my late father.
Dejected, I was walking across the hard-to-navigate gravel parking lot when a really cute brunette, whom I’d seen around the campus but never met, rolled down her window, smiled at me, and said, ‘Can you park my car for me?’ I did. That was the sole bright spot of that day.
I enlisted in January, 1972, finished the winter semester at RSCC, and reported to the Navy in April. A six-year enlistment guaranteed me advanced electronics training and an early promotion. In Naval aviation, I served in attack and fighter squadrons, aboard the Forrestal (America’s first ‘supercarrier’), and at Naval stations in Virginia and Florida.
The original six years turned into twenty four. I finished my bachelor’s degree at my 12-year mark and got commissioned as an officer, becoming a ‘mustang,’ an officer with prior enlisted service. I rose to Lieutenant (same as Captain in the Marines, Air Force, and Army), earning nine medals and several commendations before being forced to retire because of military cutbacks.
In the Navy, I received excellent training, gained valuable experience in many opportunities, and traveled to several other countries. I’ve long enjoyed the camaraderie and common bond of my brothers and sisters in arms, even if our service branches were different. To this day, I still get friendly greetings because of my ‘Retired Navy’ license plate on my car.
And that cute brunette I mentioned earlier?
We will celebrate 50 years of marriage in December.”
- Michael Chadwell (Nicole Gann, Junior)
Bernard Cox, Master Sergeant, Army Air Forces, World War II
David Noel Datsko, Sergeant, Army (5th Special Forces Group), Vietnam War (served
from 1961-1975)
Lucas Daughtery, Sergeant E-5, Navy, Peacetime
Roger Freels, Work Specialist E-4, Army, Vietnam War
“My dad served as an E-4, putting up telephone poles to help with the communication between each bunker and camp.”
-Sophia Freels, Senior
Tom Fritts, Vietnam War
Arvel Gann, Army
George “Frank” Gann, Private, Army, World War I
“There has always been this fascinating story about my great-grandfather and his service in the First World War. According to family legend, Frank Gann never talked much about his service overseas. That most likely is what made it especially jarring to the family when one day, many years after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, that a French woman came walking down the road in rural eastern Tennessee to the family home asking to speak to him. She later explained that during the war, her town was bombed heavily and she lost her family to the devastation. Frank and his comrades found the young girl and took her into their care in the trenches until they could put her into the hands of the Red Cross. She thanked him graciously for saving her life, and the family gained a greater knowledge of a side to Frank that nobody had known before.”
- Nicole Gann, Junior
James C. Gann, Staff Sergeant, Army Air Forces, World War II
George Hammonds, Army, World War I
MaryAnn (Smither) Hammonds, Military Police, Air Force, 1982-1987
“My mom was stationed in Cocoa Beach, Florida, which is a neighboring town to Cape Canaveral, which is where NASA's headquarters were in the 80's. On January 19, 1984, the Challenger tragedy occurred and she was on the rescue squad.”
- Gracie Hammonds, Junior
William Hammonds, Private First Class, Army, Korean War
Oscar Harmon, Navy, World War II
Derek Hawn, Corporal, Marines, Active Duty, Operation Enduring Freedom
“I joined the Marine Corps in 2008. I went to Parris Island, South Carolina, for basic training. Then, in January of 2009, I went to School of Infantry East in North Carolina. After graduating from the School of Infantry, I was assigned to 2D Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Alpha Company. I was deployed in December of ‘09 to Afghanistan. I was in the initial push of Marjah, the biggest Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan. The name of the operation was Operation Moshtarak. It was the biggest US offensive since Fallujah, Iraq. I came back at the end of May 2010. I then deployed again in March of 2012, with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. We were extended twice on that deployment and got home right before Christmas of that year. Once I was back, I became a machine gun instructor until I was honorably discharged at the end of June 2013.”
- Derek Hawn (Maddie Hooks, Junior)
James Hendrix Gibson Jr., Army
Gene Hester, Army, Vietnam War (2 Tours)
William David Hinds, Army, Private First-Class, Panama
Damon Hornung, Gunnery Sergeant E-7, Marines
Kendall Kelsey, Army, Active Duty
Hubert Kirby, Air Force
James Kirby, Staff Sergeant, Air Force, Peacetime (Cold War)
William “Bill” Kirby, Air Force
Carl Knox, Private, Army Air Forces, World War II
David McCarter, Army
Jonathan McCrary, Army
Aaron Mecasue, Navy
“He served in the Navy and was stationed in many places, such as Japan.”
- Ariana McKenzie, Freshman
Gary Miller, Navy
Leonard Miller, Marines (served 6 years)
Justin Moore, Sergeant, Iraq War
Sarah Moore, Sergeant, Iraq War
Dean Moss, Staff Sergeant E-5, Air Force, Vietnam
“While going through the training he needed at Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado in 1967, Dean Moss got orders to be stationed in Pleiku, South Vietnam. After telling his family who lived in Georgia about the terrifying news, he and his girlfriend, Barbara, talked about their future together, as he didn't want her to be committed to someone who was being sent to a war zone. During that long, emotional talk in a phone booth across the U.S., Dean proposed to her. After Barbara accepted his marriage proposal, he committed himself to his training, as he graduated as an Honor Graduate in April 1968. On May 4th, he married Barbara. However, only 16 days after their marriage, Dean was saying goodbye to his supporting family and on his way to his station in Vietnam. He was finally back home in May 1969. A few years after coming back to his hometown in Georgia, he and Barbara moved to Maryville, Tennessee, and had two sons, Scott Moss in 1973 and David Moss in 1978. Both sons have 3 kids, making Dean and Barbara the grandparents of 6. In 2009, Dean Published a novel called "The Other Side of the World: Memoir of a Young Man's Year in Vietnam". In this book, he describes his experiences on the other side of the world. It includes explanations of the common military terms used, personal pictures of important moments during duty, and *all* of the letters that he and Barbara sent back and forth during their separation. Any and all profits that Dean makes immediately gets donated to Second Harvest Food Bank.”
- Brady Moss, Junior
Reid Newton I, Navy, Vietnam War
Robert M. Phillips Jr., Corporal, Army, Peacetime
CJ Pointer, Army, Afghanistan
Missy Pointer, Army
Meredith “George” Pride, Army, Peacetime
Brenton Regan, Air Force
Leslie Schonfarber, Air Force
David Shillings, Lieutenant, Navy, World War II
Kyle Stockton, Army
Bob Stout, Army, Korean War
Steven Stratton, Captain, Army, Reserves
Olaf Underwood, Army, World War II
William “Gene” Underwood, Staff Sergeant, Army, World War II
Tracy Widner, Navy
Victor Wiggins, Army, World War II
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