County to host meal for veterans

By Staff
Jonathan Willis FCT Staff Writer
Though Veteran's Day has come and gone, the appreciation that veterans deserve never passes.
That's why the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce is hosting a dinner and program on Nov. 30 to honor all county veterans.
The timing of the program is meaningful in the fact that it falls just after Thanksgiving.
A private dinner for all county veterans and their families will be served at 6 p.m. at the A.W. Todd Center in downtown Russellville. At 7 p.m., the event will be opened to the public at no cost.
The meal is open to all veterans of the United States Armed Forces, including the local servicemen and women who have taken part in the current war on terror.
Because the meal is free, the chamber would like to know how many people to prepare for.
Several guest speakers will be in attendance, including Johnny Spann, the father of the first U.S. combat casualty in the war on terror.
Mike Spann, a Central Intelligence Agency officer from Winfield, was killed in the early stages of combat with the Taliban in Afghanistan in late 2001.
Skip Nichols, whose brother Chris is currently serving with the 115th Signal Battalion in Iraq, will also be speaking. Nichols is spearheading an effort to create a park in honor of local veterans at the Franklin County Archives building in Russellville.
Another speaker will be Tom Smith, of the Florence TimesDaily, who spent several weeks reporting on the war effort from Iraq.
The Russellville High School chorus and band will provide special entertainment for the evening.
For more information, call Lisa Stockton at 332-1760.