Officials to give presentation on Veterans Muster Thursday
By ALEX MCRAEalex@newnan.com
Officials of the Coweta Commission on Veterans Affairs will give a presentation Thursday on events to take place during its planned Muster III this fall.
The discussion will be held at the Newnan Carnegie Library at 2:30 p.m.
This year’s third annual Veterans Muster will be held on Oct. 11-13 at the Coweta County Fairgrounds.
The theme of Muster 2012 is “Military Operations—Post Vietnam.”
The muster honors all veterans, but will focus on those who served in Desert Storm/ Desert Shield, Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq and many other significant post-Vietnam conflicts, including operations in Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, Bosnia, Haiti and Somalia.
“This is the third of what we now consider an annual event,” said veteran Malcolm Jackson, one of the event’s organizing founders. “We are glad that we have this opportunity to recognize the veterans who have served since 1975, and their families.
Jackson pointed out that since 2013 has been designated by the U.S. Congress as the 60th anniversary of the Korean War, next year’s Muster will focus on Korean War veterans.
This year’s event will include events on two days, Thursday, Oct. 11 and Saturday, Oct. 13. Plans are still being finalized for the events, but Thursday’s activity will be centered around a play at the Centre for Performing and Visual Arts in Newnan based on “Letters Home,” which draws on actual letters written by troops describing what military personnel experience while serving overseas. Ticket prices will be announced soon.
Oct. 13 activities will feature the Student-Vet Connect event held each fall by Newnan High School history classes. At the event, veterans will be on hand to display memorabilia and talk to students and all other visitors about their military experiences.
Plans are being made to offer paid rides in a UH-1 Huey Helicopter and static displays will include a Blackhawk helicopter.
At 2 p.m., a ceremony will be held to honor the families of six local men who have died on active duty service since 1975. Those to be honored include Chad Coleman, Michael Stokely, Jeffery Blanton, Joseph Meadows, Adrian Mills and Nicholas Whitlock. After the special recognition to fallen servicemen, the ceremony will close with the playing of “Taps” as the colors are retired.
The Newnan VFW Post will be in charge of closing ceremonies.
CVA officials have begun speaking to local organizations and service clubs to promote the 2012 event and hope Muster III will continue to build on the event’s past successes. Anyone interested in hearing a presentation should contact Malcolm Jackson. His email address is mrjackson@numail.org .
CVA members stress that the non-profit is seeking grants to help defray part of the costs of staging the 2012 event, but say that donations are always welcome.
Those wishing to make tax-deductible donations should mail checks payable to the Coweta Commission on Veterans Affairs to: 23 Stone Moss Drive, Newnan, GA 30265.
Those interested in more information are also urged to check the organization’s website: cowetacova.org or Facebook page: ccvaNewnan.
