Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Bernardo Fuller.
President Barack Obama bestows the Medal of Honor to retired Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie Adkins in the East Room of the White House on Sept. 15, 2014.
Hoover for many years has celebrated what city leaders calls Veterans Week, but this year there are numerous new events to honor veterans throughout the month of November.
One of the new events is a Salute to Veterans Ball at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex’s Finley Center on Nov. 8. It will be a military-style ball with a sit-down, white tablecloth dinner, music, dancing and a speech by retired Army Command Sgt. Major Bennie Adkins, who in 2014 was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama for his bravery above and beyond the call of duty during the Vietnam War.
Adkins distinguished himself during a 38-hour, close-combat battle against North Vietnamese Army forces during the Battle of A Shau in March 1966. With his camp under heavy attack, Adkins was credited with killing 135-175 enemy soldiers as he helped evacuate wounded U.S. soldiers, and he led others in escaping while being pursued by the Viet Cong and a tiger as they made their way through the jungle.
Manning a mortar and rifle, he fought off waves of attacks from the Viet Cong, suffering 18 wounds to his body, according to Army records. He initially was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in 1967, but decades later it was determined he deserved the Medal of Honor.
Retired Army Major Gen. David Burford, who spent 37 years with the Army Special Forces, will serve as master of ceremonies.
Attire for the Salute to Veterans Ball will be black-tie or suits for men and ballroom or evening gown or other formal attire for women. Both active and inactive military personnel are encouraged to wear their uniforms.
The event will honor veterans and serve as a fundraiser for the Hoover-based Vettes-4-Vets organization, which supports programs that offer housing for homeless veterans and transportation, education support and personal, physical and mental support for veterans in need.
Individual tickets cost $125 and include dinner and two drink tickets. Vettes for Vets also is seeking corporate sponsorships and as of mid-October had already raised $40,000 by selling corporate tables, said Mark Davis, president of the organization. The goal is to net $50,000 with the event, he said.
A reception should start about 5:15 p.m., and the dinner and program will begin at 6 p.m., Davis said. Military vehicles, antique Corvettes and the latest models of Corvettes and Jeeps will be on display, he said. To order tickets or sponsor a table, contact Davis at 266-0632 or mkdavis@mindspring.com. Reservations are requested by Nov. 1, but some seats may still be sold the day of the event, Davis said.
Also on Nov. 8 at the Finley Center, the Alabama National Guard and Soldier Citizens for Life group are sponsoring a job fair that will feature an expected 80 to 100 companies from a wide variety of fields, including healthcare, banking, restaurants, hotels, law enforcement, construction and trucking. It is designed for veterans but open to the public and will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Riverchase Country Club is holding a Salute to Veterans Patriot Dinner (heavy hors d’oeuvres) on Sunday, Nov. 18, from 6 to 9 p.m., with Burford as the guest speaker. Tickets are $75 per person, with proceeds benefiting Vettes for Vets.
The Riverchase Country Club also is sponsoring a golf tournament to raise money for Vettes for Vets on Monday, Nov. 19. The cost is $150 per player or $600 for a team of four, including breakfast and lunch. A veteran will be paired as a fifth golfer with each foursome. The deadline to register for the Patriot Dinner and golf tournament is Nov. 14.
From Oct. 1 through Thanksgiving, the Support Our Soldiers organization will be collecting items to fill 500 care packages for U.S. service members at the Riverchase Country Club and Hoover Fire Station No. 3 in Riverchase. The Daughters of the American Revolution will be collecting items to fill 50 to 100 care packages specifically for female service members at the same locations, too.
Photo courtesy of Lance Shores/Hoover Public Library.
A member of the Ryan Winslow American Legion Post 911 in Hoover, Alabama, salutes during a flag-folding ceremony at the Hoover Public Library as part of Veterans Week activities in November 2017.
The City of Hoover Veterans Committee also has numerous events scheduled in November:
► Kickoff celebration: The city will kick off Veterans Week with a celebration at the Hoover Public Library on Sunday, Nov. 4. It begins at 2 p.m. with a program in the Library Theatre that will include recognition of the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2018 Freedom Award winner, former Hoover Executive Director Allen Pate, who served two years in the Navy Seabees and was a strong supporter of veterans in his role with the city.
The Alabama Youth Symphony will perform a patriotic concert in the theater at 2:30 p.m., and a reception honoring veterans will follow from 3 to 3:45 p.m. The kickoff celebration ends with a flag-folding ceremony led by the Hoover Fire Department at 3:45 p.m. at the library flagpole.
► Tuskegee Airmen Chronology: Author Daniel Haulman will make a presentation about the Tuskegee Airmen in the Hoover Public Library meeting rooms, on the theater level, at 10 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 5, preceded by a reception at 9:45 a.m.
► Veterans Memorial Arbor Rededication: People are invited to gather at the Veterans Memorial Arbor at Aldridge Gardens at 10 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 5, for a short ceremony to rededicate the stainless steel arbor over the dam. The arbor is supported by 16 columns, each dedicated to a different veteran, and every period of war or conflict since World War I is represented on the arbor.
On one end of the arbor is an area with the U.S. flag and flags for five branches of the armed forces, and on the other end is an area called the Gateway Pentagon Plaza, designed to honor Hoover residents killed on active duty.
► Flag-folding Ceremonies: In addition to the flag-folding ceremony at 3:45 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4, additional flag-folding ceremonies will be held at 4:45 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Nov. 5-8, at the Hoover Public Library. Those ceremonies typically are conducted by Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and the Civil Air Patrol.
► World War I Documentary: “The Great War,” a documentary about military experiences during World War I, will be shown in three installments in the Hoover Library Theatre. Part 1 will be shown at 2 and 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 5, Part 2 will be shown at 2 and 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 7 and Part 3 will be shown at 2 and 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 8.
► Veterans and Family Empowerment Expo: The Hoover Public Library is holding a free expo to help veterans and their families as they transition from military life to civilian life, especially young veterans, said Kelsi Walters, a library employee on the city’s Veterans Committee.
The expo will be on Saturday, Nov. 17, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and will include a chance for employment interviews with local businesses, family support services, a Veterans Affairs outreach bus, a yoga, fitness and rucking course, games and activities for kids, food trucks and more.
► Other activities: The Hoover Public Library will have a display of various military uniforms and a table saluting service members who were prisoners of war or who went missing in action. Patrons are invited to submit photographs of family members who have served in the U.S. armed forces for display on a Wall of Honor. Children are invited to create a gift for patients at the VA Hospital in Birmingham, and the library will have a display of artwork by Hoover school children tohonor veterans.
