RICHMOND — For anyone who has a personal military hero, perhaps a spouse, relative or close friend, they would like to honor, an essay contest may be the way to express their appreciation.
As part of its Veterans Week celebration in November, Eastern Kentucky University is holding a Talk of Heroes essay contest. The event is open to all ages, and authors of the top five entries will be invited to read their essays at a public ceremony at 1 p.m. Nov. 12 — the day the nation observes Veterans Day — on the Richmond campus.
“For the past two years, we have had lots of volunteers read the names of the fallen,” noted retired Lt. Col. Brett Morris, recently named director of admissions at EKU after serving as associate director of veterans affairs.
“When I would ask them why they wanted to read the names of those who had died in Iraq or Afghanistan, almost all had a compelling story about someone who had served in the military who was their personal hero. We felt these inspiring stories deserved to be heard.”
The winners will be chosen by the National Roll Call Event Committee at EKU.
A contest form can be found at va.eku.edu/essay-contest. Anyone unable to access the form should mail the following to EKU Veterans Affairs, SSB CPO 72, Eastern Kentucky University, 521 Lancaster Ave, Richmond, Ky., 40475, attention essay contest: date submitted, name, contact information (telephone number and/or e-mail address), name of hero, and branch of service hero served, along with an essay of 500 words or less describing “what their hero did and why you admire, honor and respect this person.”
The deadline for submitting entries is Oct. 31.
