Rotary Club guest speaker shares father’s WWII story
JACKSON, Tenn. — The Jackson Rotary Club held its monthly meeting, but this meeting paid a special tribute to those who served our country.
The Veterans Day program featured song selections from the Madison Academic Choir, a $500 check presented to the West Tennessee Veterans Coalition and guest speaker Jerry Powell.
Jerry Powell spoke about his father, Grady Powell, who served in World War II and was a prisoner of war.
Jerry Powell shared his father’s battle through his time in France. He was enlisted in 1943 and became a prisoner of war in 1944.
It wasn’t until May of 1945 that he was liberated and made his way back to West Tennessee.
“A lot of what we take for granted today, they really valued. And freedom is not free, and my dad was willing to serve and sacrifice and serve this country,” Jerry Powell said.
Jerry Powell says this is the first time he’s shared his father’s story publicly to a crowd of this size. He says he couldn’t be more proud to share his story.
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