An award-winning keynote speaker, author, and longtime resident of Caldwell County announced on WPKY Wednesday that a special program — featuring a renowned fighter pilot and POW as the keynote speaker — will be held in October to recognize all military veterans in the area.
Phillip “Phil” Van Hooser said he’s happy to announce that a “Veterans Salute” will be held on Sunday, October 30, at the Caldwell County High School Fine Arts Center.
click to download audioA unique speaker will also be a part of the event. Van Hooser says Captain Charlie Plumb, a motivational speaker, is a personal friend of his who was in the first class of “Top Gun” pilots and made over a hundred landings on aircraft carriers all over the world. He noted Plumb will be speaking about his 75th — and final mission — when he was shot down in Vietnam in enemy territory and taken prisoner.
click to download audioPlumb was released as a prisoner of war on February 18, 1973. He is also the recipient of the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts and the POW Medal.
Van Hooser pointed out that he likes sports, but many times the concept of heroism is misguided and sometimes there is a misplaced focus on who the real heroes are.
click to download audioHe added this event came about after Van Hooser was approached by a veteran in the community about doing something special to acknowledge those who served in the military.
click to download audioVan Hooser has served on the Farmer’s Bank & Trust Company Board of Directors for 17 years and shared this information with the board of directors along with the idea of having Plumb as the speaker. He said they jumped on board.
click to download audioAccording to Van Hooser, tickets are free for the “Veterans Salute” event that will be held at 2:00 on the afternoon of October 30th. However, he says tickets need to be reserved because they believe there is going to be a big turnout and there is limited seating in the CCHS Fine Arts Center. However, he adds tickets will not be available until Tuesday, September 6th, after Labor Day. After that date, you can secure your tickets by going to the main branch of Farmers Bank and Trust Company on West Washington Street in Princeton and tell the receptionist you want tickets for the event. He adds you will then be asked to fill out a card with your name, address, and branch of service so they know how many veterans will be participating.
