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Monroe County honors veterans; keynote speaker recounts deployments and reads a retirement poem
Summary
Monroe County's 2024 Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 11 featured student performances, a 21-gun salute and a keynote by Samuel Beverly III, a retired Navy sailor who recounted deployments and read "The Watch." The event closed with prayers, a moment of silence and thanks to volunteers.
Monroe County held its 2024 Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 11, bringing together veterans, families, students and county staff for patriotic observances and a guest keynote speech.
Unidentified Speaker 1 opened the ceremony and thanked attendees, students from the primary school and Adoration Hospice for providing refreshments. Attendees recited the Pledge of Allegiance and Miss Jo Staple sang the national anthem.
Paul Goers, introduced as a U.S. Army veteran, led an invocation and later offered a closing prayer. Organizers held a 21-gun salute and taps to honor veterans who had died in the previous year; the emcee noted that attendees sensitive to loud noises should cover their ears.
The ceremony's guest speaker, Samuel Beverly III, introduced himself as a retiree of the U.S. Navy with more than 20 years of service and described deployments including Camp Lejeune, Beirut and duty related to Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm and later operations near Kuwait. He also said he served as a federal agent with the Transportation Security Administration after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and currently works for the Tennessee Department of Human Services as an eligibility counselor serving Monroe County.
"Being a veteran in Monroe County means to live up to the highest values of what it means to be a Tennessee volunteer," Samuel Beverly III said, and read a poem commonly used at Navy and Marine Corps retirement ceremonies: "For 20 years, this this sailor has stood the watch..."
During his remarks, Beverly recounted several combat and post-9/11 experiences, including descriptions of attacks on U.S. units and losses among fellow service members. He also stated that "the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, working in cahoots with Osama bin Laden, hijacked 4 planes" on Sept. 11, 2001; that claim was presented by Beverly in his speech and went unanswered during the ceremony.
The program included a special presentation by young students, whom organizers asked the audience to recognize with applause, and a brief moment of silence to honor veterans who have passed.
The ceremony closed with final acknowledgements from event organizers to volunteers, the IT department and the honor guard. Organizers thanked veterans in attendance and asked those able to stand or wave so the community could honor their service.
