The City of La Vergne plans to pay homage this Veterans Day to the men and women who have served our country.
The annual ceremony, held at Veterans Memorial Park's memorial wall, is scheduled for 11 a.m. Nov. 11. There will be three speakers, including Sal Gonzalez, Tina Veith and Paul Williams. There will be a 21 gun salute and the Brenda Lane will play taps.
The Parks and Recreation Department will be offering flags that can be purchased for $10 to honor a veteran of your choosing. The flag is a 3' x 5' American flag attached to a 6 ft. pole that will also display your veteran's information. The flags can be purchased through the Parks and Recreation Department. Flags are limited. The flags will be put on display and they will be yours to take home after the conclusion of the ceremony. Please contact the Parks and Recreation office at (615) 793-3224 or stop by 294 Sand Hill Road.
The City of La Vergne has built a memorial wall at Veterans Memorial Park to honor family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues who have served in the U.S. armed forces. Anyone who has served honorably in the armed forces or is currently on active duty is eligible to be put on the wall. The cost of a brick is $35 and you may select up to 4 lines, with 21 characters per line (including spaces and symbols). If you need assistance finding a Veteran's military information, please use the link provided on the City's website below to submit form SF180 to the National Personnel Records Center. To order a brick visit www.lavergnetn.gov/199/Buy-a-Brick to fill out the online form or download a form that can be dropped off at La Vergne Parks and Recreation located at 294 Sand Hill Road. If you have questions, contact the Parks and Recreation Department at 615-793-3224.
The Speakers
About Sal Gonzalez
Sal Gonzalez is a singer/songwriter/actor/podcaster and a retired United States Marine. Sal made the pledge to fight for the honor of his country following the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers, September 11, 2001. Sal enlisted with the United States Marine Corps immediately after graduating from high school. Retiring in 2005 from wounds received in combat, Sal went on to pursue his dreams of making music by moving to Nashville in 2006. Sal has shared the stage with artists including Charlie Daniels, Keith Urban and Jason Michael Carrol all while acting on the show “Nashville” and working as a spokesperson for organizations like Wounded Warrior Project, Semper Fi fund and #stop22tour.
About Tina Veith
Tina Veith was born in Louisville, KY and lived in several states during her childhood, including Tennessee. She joined the United States Marine Corps in Chicago, IL in 1995 and served on active duty at several duty stations throughout the United States and overseas. Upon her honorable discharge in 2000 she moved to middle Tennessee to live near family. She has one daughter, Alexis, who is pre-med and currently enrolled at the University of Minnesota. Tina works for a local healthcare organization handling denied medical claims and in her spare time she volunteers with 4 organizations, all of which assist veterans and/or the local community.
About Paul Williams
Paul Williams, affectionately known as “Bear,” was born in Barrow in Furness on the northwest coast of England. His family later moved to Detroit, Michigan where his father took employment in the flourishing auto industry. Recently he retired after 34 years at Nissan in Smyrna, and is a longtime member of Rolling Thunder Chapter One Tennessee where he has served on their Board for several years.
