VFW Awards Essay Winners

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3107 of Glasgow honored students from Opheim, Hinsdale and Glasgow for their winning submissions to the Patriot's Pen and Voice of Democracy essay contests at a Christmas dinner last Thursday, Dec. 13 at the VFW Hall on Highway 2.

The winner of the Patriot's Pen contest was Kodi Boone, of Hinsdale, and the runner-up finalists were Ellie Stone, of Glasgow, and Carrie Taylor, of Opheim. The Patriot's Pen essay focuses on service to democracy.

On their website the VFW states, "The essay contest encourages young minds to examine America's history, along with their own experiences in modern American society, by drafting a 300- to 400-word essay, expressing their views based on a patriotic theme chosen by the VFW Commander-in-Chief."

According to the VFW, "Each year more than 132,000 students in grades six to eight enter the VFW's Patriot's Pen youth essay contest. The national first-place winner wins $5,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C."

Also awarded were the winners of the high school-based contest Voice of Democracy. The winner was Tyler Fitzsimmons, of Glasgow, whose winning essay is published to the left of this article. The runners-up were Taylor Nelson, of Opheim, and John McColly, of Hinsdale.

On their website the VFW states the following, "Established in 1947, our Voice of Democracy audio-essay program provides high school students with the unique opportunity to express themselves in regards to a democratic and patriotic-themed recorded essay. Each year, nearly 40,000 nine through twelve-grade students from across the country enter to win their share of $2.1 million in educational scholarships and incentives awarded through the program."