Rocky Top Raises POW/MIA flag
Rocky Top Police Chief Jim Shetterly, District 4 Commissioner Tim Isbel, Rocky Top Vice Mayor Tim Sharp, Anderson County Trustee Regina Copeland, Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, Anderson County Veterans Affairs Director Leon Jacquet, Rocky Top Mayor Michael Lovely, State Rep. John Ragan, Anderson County Property Assessor John Alley, District 4 Commissioner Shain Vowell and City Manager Michael Foster (photo:Crystal Huskey )
It was an emotional tribute to the service men and women who have gone missing or were prisoners of war since World War II.
“It’s long been a motto in all military branches to never leave a man behind,” Ragan, an Air Force veteran, said. “Unfortunately, the forces of war sometimes require that that motto not be upheld… We must always keep them and their families in the forefront of our memories.”
District 4 Commissioner Tim Isbel and Rocky Top Vice Mayor Tim Sharp approached the council earlier this year with the idea of honoring POW/MIA Day in Rocky Top, according to City Manager Michael Foster.
“We want to respect our service men and women,” Foster said.
“I thought that sounded like a great idea. We care about those who have served in our community.”
Foster did not originally know that there was a day set aside to honor prisoners of war and those missing in action, but when he found out, the mayor and council created a proclamation that sets aside the third Friday of September as POW/MIA Recognition Day. On Friday, the city raised the POW/MIA flags alongside the American flag at the Veterans Memorial.
It’s the same day that the state capitol building flies the POW/MIA flag.
Ragan is the vice chair of the Joint Veterans Caucus in the General Assembly. More than 25-percent of the General Assembly are veterans, according to Ragan.
“From a personal perspective, I have friends that I went to school with and served with that are unfortunately on this list,” he said.
Ragan attended the United State Air Force Academy.
“It’s not just the families,” he continued, “but those of us that came to know them that suffer as a result of them being missing still.”
According to Ragan, Anderson County has the highest veterans population percentage-wise in the state.
The average is 11-percent; in Anderson County, it’s 13-percent.
“Several of my classmates were casualties in Vietnam, and some were POWs,” he said.
The Rocky Top Chamber purchased the stark black and white flags for the city, and Anderson County trustee Regina Copeland and husband Keith donated the poles they go on.
Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank told those in attendance that there are still 82,000 service men and women listed as POWs or still missing since World War II.
“I’m thankful for you putting this on,” she said. “It’s important that we speak to those families and let them know that those folks are never forgotten and we don’t take their sacrifice for granted.”