Congressional Veteran Commendation award debuts in West Tennessee
JACKSON, Tenn.– The first recipients of the Congressional Veteran Commendation award were honored in Downtown Jackson, Friday. Awarded by United States Congressman Stephen Fincher, the certificate and medal are given only to West Tennessee veterans. Recipient Albert Wainscott served in World War II. He said he survived being captured three times in one day at the Battle of the Bulge. “I would have never gotten through what I went through had it not been for my Lord and it took me a long time to realize this,” Wainscott said. The second recipient, Colonel James Harding is a command pilot with more then 4,000 hours of flying time. He is known for his air rescue missions during the Vietnam War. “I actually got shot down a couple of times, once in a helicopter— which wasn’t my fault,” he said. More than a dozen Veterans attended the ceremony. “They’re the ones that paved the way for veterans like myself and also the veterans who are currently serving,” Commander William Milam, of the McKenzie VFW post said. Staff said they chose the train depot near downtown Jackson for the ceremony because it was so symbolic in remembering the history of what Veterans have done. Many West Tennessee soldiers would hop trains at the downtown depot before shipping out. Servicemen Lester Bates was also honored at the ceremony Friday. He was unable to attend due to illness. Nominations for 2015 are closed right now. Congressman Fincher says once they open, nominations can be accepted through the website Fincher.house.gov.
