World War II veterans' celebration set

By Staff
Jonathan Willis
They helped liberate an entire continent.
They have been called the "Greatest Generation."
Now, Franklin County wants to honor these World War II veterans in their own way.
A special presentation is planned from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8 at the A.W. Todd Center in downtown Russellville.
The special event is being called, "Come Meet the Real Band of Brothers," titled after the popular HBO series based on World War II events.
"These men and women are real heroes who sacrificed a lot for us," said Bill Jackson, commander of the local VFW post 5184.
The presentation will honor all World War II veterans, but it will allow those there in attendance to be recognized by the community and their fellow veterans.
"We want people to have the opportunity to speak with them," Jackson said. "They have so many great stories to tell."
The Russellville High School Junior ROTC color guard will present the colors and local singer Kim Clonts will sing the national anthem. The Russellville High School jazz band will perform songs from that period of time.
"This is something that we wanted to do just to honor these men and women," Jackson said. "They served 60 years ago and there's not many opportunities we have to get them together, so we hope as many World War II veterans and their families as possible will come.
"They are heroes and they need to be recognized as heroes."