Letter to the Editor: Praise for students who wrote letters to Honor Flight veterans

To the Editor:

On September 21, Saturday, I had the opportunity and the honor to escort two Vietnam Veterans on an Honor Flight to Washington D.C. This was the 9th year of sponsorship from Cumberland Valley Electric and East Kentucky Power. I personally think it is a marvelous thing that Ted Hampton and Tony Campbell, do to help give our Veterans such a wonderful experience. Cumberland Valley Electric helped sponsor Vietnam Veterans, Gary Smith of Barbourville, and Charlie Phillips of Corbin. Our Touchstone Energy Cooperatives helped sponsor Vietnam Veteran, Joel Peyton of Corbin and Korean War Veteran, Robert Mackey of Corbin. These four American heroes were truly an honor to be around and a shining example of the kind of men our communities produce.

The true motivation behind this letter however, is the school kids in our local school systems. John Siler and Dave Cox from Whitley County and Corbin Independent schools promoted a “mail call” writing initiative with all their students. From kindergarten to High School, their students wrote letters of appreciation to these Veterans thanking them for their service to our great country. I have always been impressed by these two school systems, but the thousands of notes sent to these veterans made for a tear shedding moment for all, including me. These students are to be commended for their enthusiasm, patriotism and service to their communities. I can assure you that Corbin and Whitley County have young adults coming that will be such a credit to their parents and schools. I can never thank them enough.

Rich Prewitt,
Cumberland Valley Electric