Powell High School honored 13 graduates who were killed in military combat in a ceremony Nov. 10. The monument stands under three flags at the original entrance and contains the names of the honorees.
Families of several fallen heroes were able to pose for photos with the memorial.
“If a community, indeed a nation, is judged by how well it treats, cares for and remembers its veterans, let it be said that Powell cares for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice,” reads the program. “We owe to these gentlemen more than we can give. But not forgetting them is the least we can do.”
Vernon Harris: A staff sergeant in the U.S. Army, was killed in action (KIA) January 12, 1943, at age 24. He graduated from Powell High School in 1938 and attended Lincoln Memorial University before enlisting in the Army.
Eugene Roop: A staff sergeant in the U.S. Army, was KIA in aerial combat over Germany on April 11, 1944, at age 20. He was the only son of the Rev. and Mrs. W.A. Roop of Dante Road. He graduated from Powell High in 1942.
Robert Buckner: Private first class in the U.S. Army, was KIA in South Korea on Sept. 9, 1950, just 12 days before his 21st birthday. He received numerous awards including the Purple Heart. Powell High Class of 1947.
Paul Reed: A private in the U.S. Army, was KIA in North Korea on April 24, 1951, at age 21. A graduate of Powell High’s Class of 1947, Reed was employed by Cherokee Spinning Company and was married to Reba Goin Reed. He, too, received many medals including the Purple Heart.
Brady Hatton: Private first class in the U.S. Army, was KIA on May 19, 1951, in South Korea at age 19. His little brother, Herman, was 8. At Powell, he was a member of First Baptist Church and Boy Scout Troop 154. PHS Class of 1949. He received the Purple Heart, the Korean Service medal and others.
Jack Amyx: A corporal in the U.S. Army, was KIA Feb. 8, 1953, at age 20. He previously was wounded but had returned to action in Korea. He was awarded the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster and other medals. PHS Class of 1950.
Charles Nix: At age 15, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served 7 months before the Army discovered his age and sent him home. A fierce athlete, he participated in football and other sports, graduating from Powell High in 1951. He was inducted into the Army again in 1951 and served in combat in Korea just over a month before being KIA Sept. 22, 1952. Marvin West was a graduate of the PHS Class of 1951 and also attended church with Charles Nix at Beaver Creek Cumberland Presbyterian. He wrote about him here, here and here.
Tommy Higdon: Captain in the U.S. Army, was KIA May 21, 1970, in Vietnam at age 25. A friend said Higdon was “killed by random incoming mortar fire.” As his friends tried to get him to a helipad, incoming fire made it impossible to hear. “He was trying to tell me something as he died, but I could not make out the words,” Gary Gresh wrote. “Somehow, I’m sure it had something to do with his wife. … I know he loved her very much.” Higdon, whose mother taught at PHS, graduated in 1964.
Charles Reed: Private first class, died at age 20 in Pleik, South Vietnam. PHS Class of 1965. He was married and his tour began on April 3, 1967. He was killed on May 18, 1967, according to Army records. There is no mention of his family.
Larry Barnard: A sergeant in the U.S. Army, he was KIA Feb. 13, 1968, Binh Duong, South Vietnam, at age 20. PHS Class of 1965, member of Callahan Road Baptist Church and employed by the Tennessee state highway department.
Lennis Gentry: Specialist 4th class, KIA Jan. 10, 1970, in Tay Ninh, Vietnam, at age 20. He was called “Clyde” by his friends and was the son of Robert Clyde and Gladys Omeka Gentry. He had a brother, Gary, and a sister, Lucille. PHS Class of 1967.
Ray Hankins: Private first class in the U.S. Army, he was KIA on May 8, 1971, in Vietnam. He received the Bronze Star posthumously “for outstanding, meritorious service in connection with ground operations against a hostile force.” Hankins was 22 and had attended the University of Tennessee for three years before being inducted into the Army.
David Marine: Specialist 4th class, U.S. Army, died June 4, 1970, at age 18. A fellow soldier wrote that David has climbed on a crane to rescue an entangled American flag before the start of their mission. “I never imagined in two more hours he would be dead,” wrote Steven Mays, a friend from Powell. PHS Class of 1969.
Powell High School principal Dr. Chad Smith unveiled the memorial and said, “This is for the community. Come by and see it any time (pause), but I don’t recommend 8:30 a.m.” Powell High history teacher Jimmie “Rusty” Smith was the driver behind the project. He spoke briefly, saying he had been working to get the memorial “under three principals.”
Finally, he pushed the right button. A fund-raising committee of Jim Hackworth, Bob Lewis, Clyde Reed, Alan Sharp, Larry Sharp and Junior Wampler raised $8,000 in six weeks to honor “13 guys who never came home.”
U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett called the men “real heroes” and read their names. Other elected officials present were Trustee Justin Biggs, commissioners Larsen Jay and Rhonda Lee, and school board member Steve Triplett. Also spotted in the crowd were Laura and Larry Bailey, Bill Weigel, former coach Mike Ogan, Larry Stooksbury and Richard Bean.
The Powell High Singers, under the direction of Jim Kennedy, sang the national anthem and “God Bless America.” Please enjoy this photo array and come back to hear the singers once I figure out how to load the video.
Powell memorial
History teacher Rusty Smith and PHS student Sam Waugh
Principal Dr. Chad Smith with Richard Bean