Walker and Catoosa counties gather for sixth annual Veterans Day ceremony
Nov 12, 2009 | 942 views | 0 
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The Catoosa Citizens’ and Veterans’ Memorial Foundation on Wednesday presented this year’s Veteran of the Year, Outstanding Patriotic Citizen and Outstanding Community Service awards at a ceremony at the Benton Place campus in Ringgold. The veterans program has been held for six years.
About 25 flags, including the American flag in the Citizens and Veterans Memorial on the Benton Place campus, were scheduled to be burned in a retirement ceremony. The synthetic material of all the flags was unsafe to be burned in the windy weather. This ceremony will be rescheduled for better weather.
Rolling Thunder Tennessee Chapter 2 took the old flag down after one last “Pledge of Allegiance.” A new flag is flying over the campus now.
Catoosa County officials, including commissioners Keith Greene and Ken Marks as well as sheriff Phil Summers, and Walker County commissioner Bebe Heiskell and senator Jeff Mullis, spoke at the ceremony.
Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School band provided the music for the ceremony, and Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 203 posted the flag at the event. The LFO JROTC also helped with the event.
The Walker County Veteran of the Year is Robert Henson Honeycutt. His chest full of military medals includes campaign and POW medals, two Purple Heart, and nine Bronze Stars. He has been instrumental in forming the Veterans of All Wars Museum at Lee and Gordon’s Mills in Chickamauga. He and his wife, Hazel, live in Rossville. He has two children and four stepchildren.
The Catoosa County Veteran of the Year is Keith Greene. He retired in 2008 after 25 years of service, including participation in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. He was awarded the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star and other campaign and terrorism medals.
After receiving his award, he said, “I didn’t expect this … After listening to the accolades of the last gentlemen (the Walker County recipient), I don’t feel worthy.”
The Catoosa County Patriotic Citizen of the Year is Yvonne Tate Morgan. She is an active member of the Daugh-ters of the American Revolution and Colonial Dame as well as the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. She helped raise money and put together the Citizens and Veterans Memorial on display at Benton Place Campus. She is married to Dewayne and has four children and three grandchildren.
After receiving her award, she said, “I love Catoosa County. I think it is the most patriotic area in the whole America.”
She lived in Walker County in the past and said Catoosa and Walker are “two of the greatest counties you could live in.”
Morgan also helped organize the Veterans Day event and added Walker County to the ceremony.
The Walker County Patriotic Citizen is Bebe Heiskell. She is the first female in the history of Georgia to be elected sole commissioner. She has been holding positions with the city of Chickamauga and Walker County for more than three decades. She is a resident of the High Point Community. She is the widow of Arthur and the mother of the late Spencer. She has two daughters and one grandson.
The Service Award goes to Judy O’Neal, owner of UCTV-3, which serves Walker and Catoosa counties. She has helped with causes like Stocking Full of Love, Center for HOPE, the Children’s Advocate Center and the American Cancer Society. Her second business is Tooties Upscale Resale Shop in historic downtown Fort Oglethorpe. She and her husband, Lebron, have two children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
A flag was flown at the state capitol building in Atlanta for all of the award recipients.
About 25 flags, including the American flag in the Citizens and Veterans Memorial on the Benton Place campus, were scheduled to be burned in a retirement ceremony. The synthetic material of all the flags was unsafe to be burned in the windy weather. This ceremony will be rescheduled for better weather.
Rolling Thunder Tennessee Chapter 2 took the old flag down after one last “Pledge of Allegiance.” A new flag is flying over the campus now.
Catoosa County officials, including commissioners Keith Greene and Ken Marks as well as sheriff Phil Summers, and Walker County commissioner Bebe Heiskell and senator Jeff Mullis, spoke at the ceremony.
Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School band provided the music for the ceremony, and Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 203 posted the flag at the event. The LFO JROTC also helped with the event.
The Walker County Veteran of the Year is Robert Henson Honeycutt. His chest full of military medals includes campaign and POW medals, two Purple Heart, and nine Bronze Stars. He has been instrumental in forming the Veterans of All Wars Museum at Lee and Gordon’s Mills in Chickamauga. He and his wife, Hazel, live in Rossville. He has two children and four stepchildren.
The Catoosa County Veteran of the Year is Keith Greene. He retired in 2008 after 25 years of service, including participation in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. He was awarded the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star and other campaign and terrorism medals.
After receiving his award, he said, “I didn’t expect this … After listening to the accolades of the last gentlemen (the Walker County recipient), I don’t feel worthy.”
The Catoosa County Patriotic Citizen of the Year is Yvonne Tate Morgan. She is an active member of the Daugh-ters of the American Revolution and Colonial Dame as well as the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. She helped raise money and put together the Citizens and Veterans Memorial on display at Benton Place Campus. She is married to Dewayne and has four children and three grandchildren.
After receiving her award, she said, “I love Catoosa County. I think it is the most patriotic area in the whole America.”
She lived in Walker County in the past and said Catoosa and Walker are “two of the greatest counties you could live in.”
Morgan also helped organize the Veterans Day event and added Walker County to the ceremony.
The Walker County Patriotic Citizen is Bebe Heiskell. She is the first female in the history of Georgia to be elected sole commissioner. She has been holding positions with the city of Chickamauga and Walker County for more than three decades. She is a resident of the High Point Community. She is the widow of Arthur and the mother of the late Spencer. She has two daughters and one grandson.
The Service Award goes to Judy O’Neal, owner of UCTV-3, which serves Walker and Catoosa counties. She has helped with causes like Stocking Full of Love, Center for HOPE, the Children’s Advocate Center and the American Cancer Society. Her second business is Tooties Upscale Resale Shop in historic downtown Fort Oglethorpe. She and her husband, Lebron, have two children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
A flag was flown at the state capitol building in Atlanta for all of the award recipients.
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