
Veterans and Lifetime Members of the Madison VFW Post 5578 continue to present colors during ceremonies and events in the Boone County area. The color guard from Post 5578 is scheduled for today's memorial ceremony at the Big Coal River Veteran's Memorial Dedication Ceremony.
slideshow
The Coal Valley News salutes the men and women from our area who have served in the armed forces or who continue to serve the country with bravery and patriotism.
While nearly everyone knows about Veterans Day; a holiday that has been celebrated nationwide since 1954.
That year, President Eisenhower signed a lae making it a holidayt to honor all of those who served the nation in wars or conflicts.
The holiday has been observed on the 11th day of November since 1978.
Since 2003, the following men and women from Boone County have served the United States.
In the Army:
Gregory Estep
Joshua Aldridge
James Hager
John Hager
Gregory Kesterson
Ana McIe
Bryan Abernathy
Brandon Mangus
John Paul Rose;
In the Navy:
Scottie Sanney
Caleb Sigmon;
In the Marines:
William Craddock
Kessell Estep
Joshua Davis
Emmanuel Smith
Seaford Smith
Christophe Adkins
Rodney Garrett
Roger Conway
Ryan Clay
Corey Tucker
Ryan Williams
Billy Aldridge
James Angel
Donnie Barker III
Timothy Godbey JR
Blake Bias
Joshua Belcher
Joshua Pitt
Brett Lambert
Roger Bowmman
Timothy Topping
Ryan Sebok
Today, there are nearly 28 million military veterans in the United Staets today.
Some statistics collected by the West Virginia Veterans Administration shows that West Virginians have always been at the forefront of defending our country’s freedoms.
Accrdong to the W.Va. Veterans Administration, West Virginia had the highest participation rate during the Korean War.
For a first-person account of the Korean War, read about Obert Parson’s experience in this week’s Coal Valley News, and listen to him tell his story on our web site, www.coalvalleynews.com.
The number of West Virginians who were killed in World War I, II, Korea and Vietnam is 6,965. The names of those men and women are listed on the West Virginia Veterans Memorial, located on the Capitol grounds.
Newly designed and opened this year, the West Virginia Museum, also located on the Capitol grounds, commemorates the heros and heroines of the Mountain State. A section of the museum is dedicated to these brave soldiers who have fought in the wars that have secured our freedoms.