HILLSDALE – On Saturday, November 11, the Hillsdale County Veterans Hall of Valor Inc. held its annual ceremony in the Plaster Auditorium at Hillsdale College’s Searle Center.
The Leighr A. Wright American Legion Auxiliary Unit 53 was recognised as the 2023 Service Organisation of the Year for its work in honouring veterans.
The unit spearheaded the effort to remove and replace the U.S. flags on all veterans’ graves in Hillsdale, assisted with community veterans’ projects, the county’s July 3 Great American Celebration and a recent county-wide trunk-or-treat.
“They help prepare Veterans Day luncheons and veterans funeral luncheons and serve veterans in the Hillsdale community in so many ways,” said John Williams, president of the Hillsdale County Veterans Hall of Valor Inc.
Following the ceremony, the Veterans Hall of Valor awarded scholarships to Julia Caspar of Hillsdale and Gracen Hager of Jonesville.
Caspar, a senior at Hillsdale Academy, received the $1,500 Admiral Peter Hess Beckwith Memorial Scholarship and Hager received a $1,000 scholarship.
“They competed with several other high school seniors who applied,” Williams said. “Their essays on the future of the all-volunteer military, based on their research, were worth a second read.”
Williams said this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords and the end of the Vietnam War, which ended the last draft the U.S. government used to require military service.
The Hillsdale County Veterans Hall of Valor Inc. aims to recognise local veterans for their contributions to society and their military service.
The Admiral Peter Hess Beckwith Memorial Scholarship was established in memory of Beckwith, a former Hall of Valor board member and U.S. Navy chaplain.
