Appreciation and respect for veterans

BY EDDIE WALKER

A veteran is any person who has served in one of the branches of the military.

When persons enlist, it is not known how or where their skills may be needed, but they are willing to serve even if it means making the supreme sacrifice.

American history has proven that nearly every generation has had to face a military conflict.

The nickname for Tennessee, the “Volunteer State,” originated from the fact that when calls have been made for troops, the citizens have responded willingly.

In the War of 1812, the response was so great that the Tennessee Militia had to be divided into the Eastern and Western Divisions. When President James K. Polk called for 2600 volunteers from Tennessee in the Mexican War, 30,000 answered.

Whatever the conflict, Cocke County residents have stepped up to the plate.

At the time of the American Revolution, this area of East Tennessee was still wilderness, inhabited by Native Americans and a few scattered white traders. However, after independence was gained, settlers began moving into this area, not always legally to be honest, but most of these men had answered the call to arms in other places. They brought here, however, a love of freedom, pride in their country and willingness to serve.

Even when America itself was not directly threatened, veterans stepped forward to defend the cause of freedom whenever and wherever they might be needed and it uphold the honor and reputation of their country. In every conflict there have been those who gave their lives.

A lack of early records here would make it impossible to name them all, but a list of Revolutionary War veterans who came to this area would include Thomas Bibee, William Boydston, William Bragg, James Milliken, Bartlett Sisk, John Huff, Darius O’Neil, Vinet Fine, Michael Nehs, Sr., Michael Nehs, Jr., John Ottinger, Jesse Bryant, Joseph Burke, John Campbell, Thomas Palmer, Alexander Smart, George Carter, Peter Fine, John Parrott, Martin Shults, Jacob Boyer, John Carmichael, William Coleman, George Kelley, Spencer Coleman, Abraham Hembree, James Potter, John Williamson, Samuel Yates, Edom Kendrick, Matthew Fox, Jesse Webb, John Fugate, John Heath, John Henry, Allen Surratt, Peter Wise, Henry Click, George Gregory, Robert Jackson, William Lofty, Samuel Martin, Lewis Sawyer, Jehu Stokely, Maximillian Conner, Alexander Smith and John Waddell.

Many Cocke County citizens today can count one or more these men as an ancestor and can be proud that he made a difference for both the county and the country.

Just 30 years after the American Revolution, the country was again at odds with Great Britain in a conflict that is known as the War of 1812. The state and national archives show that Cocke County citizens were in the following units: 4th Regiment, TN Militia (commanded by Col. Samuel Bayless), East TN Volunteer Mounted Gunmen (commanded by Col. John Brown), 1st Regiment Volunteer Mounted Infantry (commanded by Col. Samuel Bunch), 2nd Regiment East TN Militia (commanded by Col. Samuel Bunch), 3 rd Regiment East TN Militia (commanded by Col. Williams Johnson), and 2nd Regiment East TN Volunteer Militia (commanded by Col. William Lillard).

Since Lillard was a citizen of Cocke County, there were more local men in his unit than any of the others. All of these units served in the Gulf Coast Theatre in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, culminating with the Battle of New Orleans. Because the military engagements were more with the Native Americans – Cherokee, Creek and Shawnee – rather than the British, this is sometimes called the Creek War or Indian War.

The Mexican War (1846-1848) followed the 1845 annexation of Texas by the United States, as Mexico still considered the area its territory. They did not recognize the validity of the Treaty of Velasco, ending the Texas War of Independence in 1836. When the United States invaded Mexico, troops were needed and Cocke County residents were among those who responded. There isn’t a complete list of names but in October 1880 when there was a rally in Newport, more than 100 veterans of the Mexican War attended.

The Civil War was a dark time in our history, the country torn apart, state against state, brother against brother. When

Tennessee seceded to the Confederacy, East Tennessee remained primarily pro-Union, but there was a pro-Southern element here also. Local men joined both armies and when the war ended, they returned home and tried to resume life as usual. Of course, there was resentment and bitterness and some moved elsewhere. Over time those feelings eased, but a lasting effect is reflected in the politics of Cocke County, which have been near solidly Republican. There have only been two Democrats elected to Congress from the First TN Congressional District since the Civil War.

The Spanish-American War was with Spain, based on US intervention in the Cuba’s War of Independence in 1898 after the USS Maine was blown up in Havana Harbor. It was a short conflict, but Cocke County formed its own unit to serve – Company C, 6th Regiment, US Volunteer Immunes. Governor Ben W. Hooper was their captain. The unit served in Puerto Rico. Then come the modern conflicts – World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Afghanistan. Here it gets personal as many know and have known veterans from each of these.

Their stories and experiences have been heard first-hand and some of their effects have been witnessed by those back home. The peacetime veterans must not be forgotten either. They have kept our military foundation solid in readiness for any times of combat.

During World War I, Newport attorney Capt. Thurman Ailor organized and headed Company E, 2nd Tennessee Infantry, which was composed of Cocke County citizens.

Starting with the Revolutionary War veterans, for every conflict there have been programs of compensation. Those first veterans were awarded bounty lands as well as pensions, but also from the start, getting and receiving them for some had involved the proverbial “red tape.” The government has not always been forthcoming with the reparations, and in the case of WWII veterans, it led to violence. Confederate veterans only received pensions if the individual Southern states could later fund them.

In 1921 all agencies which offered any type of aid to veterans were consolidated into the Veterans Bureau which has evolved into the Veterans Administration, which was elevated to Cabinet status in 1989. The motto of the VA is based on its goal of caring for those “who have borne the battle.” The VA manages all veteran benefits — medical, financial and burial.

In 1945 the position of Veterans Service Officer was created to be located in every county to assist veterans with their benefits.

The VA provides tombstones for any veterans since the American Revolution, and of late, citizens have seen that the unmarked graves of many local veterans have been marked.

In recent years, Vietnam veterans have come forward and related the negative, unprovoked and hostile treatment they received to their return to the United States. Such mistreatment may have contributed to the estimate that at least 30% of Vietnam veterans later have had some degree of PTSD. Few of them talk about it, but what most of these might have experienced can leave deep scars.

When the United States entered the Gulf War, citizens made a concerted effort to see its veterans were not again treated as the Vietnam veterans were. One plan was the campaign of “yellow ribbons” which citizens were asked to display as a symbol of honor and remembrance of those serving in the military far away from home.

Another local group that seeks to remember our veterans is the Cocke County chapter of the Quilts of Valor. Founded in 2015, this group has 18 volunteers, both men and women, who meet monthly at the DAV building. They handcraft quilts of various patterns but all in patriotic colors and motifs. Any veteran can receive one of these quilts symbolic of covering them with comfort and healing and with appreciation for their service and sacrifice to our nation.

The local chapter of QOV has distributed quilts to over 500 of our local veterans.

The phrase “Our country – right or wrong!” was coined in 1816 by naval hero Stephen Decatur. Our veterans have dedicated themselves and offered their lives in defense of their country, no matter what. In every era, in every year, they have made a difference, and those who support them make a difference, too.