In advance of Veterans Day, nominations are now being accepted for the 2024 Hattiesburg Veteran of the Year award, which is now in its 30th year.
The award is designed to recognize and honor military veterans who have served the United States, returned home and continued their tradition of service to the Hattiesburg community.
“It’s important to us that the community get involved (in the nomination process), because we know those veterans who participate in some of our activities, but we know that there are a great number of other veterans in our community that we don’t know, who are doing great things in this community,” said Col. Sheila Varnado, who serves as chair of the Hattiesburg Veteran of the Year Selection Committee. “So that’s why we want to open it up to the community, because they know – they have family members, friends, neighbors, members of their church.
“There are a lot of people in Hattiesburg who do a lot of great things in this community, and we don’t know who they all are, so that’s why we want to every year put the word out to ask the community to let us be aware of someone who we may not be aware of. They may be just the candidate for this year’s recognition for Veteran of the Year.”
Any member of the Hattiesburg community is encouraged to nominate an outstanding veteran for consideration of the award. The basic requirements for consideration are as follows:
- Nominees must be a resident of the Hattiesburg area (Forrest or Lamar counties) for the last five years;
- Must be a veteran of any service branch of the United States Armed Forces;
- Must have received an honorable discharge for military service (a copy of their DD Form 214 is required);
- Must have demonstrated the spirit of good citizenship and patriotism; and
- Must have made some significant contribution not just to fellow veterans but also to the overall betterment of the larger Hattiesburg community.
For further details on the nomination process or to request an application template, contact Varnado via email at varnados@comcast.net. The deadline to submit completed applications is October 22.
Once all the applications have been processed, the Hattiesburg Veteran of the Year Selection Committee – which is made up of all living previous award winners – will select the 2024 Veteran of the Year. That person will be introduced to the community on Veterans Day, which is observed on November 11, during the annual program at Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Hattiesburg.
“I never know, to be honest with you, how many (nominations) we’ll get, but we do always get responses,” Varnado said. “I know there are a lot of great people out there.
“I don’t know who they are, but I know they’re out there.”
Varnado said the fact that the Hattiesburg Veteran of the Year program has been around for three decades speaks to the City of Hattiesburg and its community.
“That veteran that is selected and presented is presented as a representative of the City of Hattiesburg, and we always have the backing of the mayor (Toby Barker) – he’s standing right there with us,” she said. “So to me, it just speaks to the greatness that this community show to everyone, but certainly to veterans when it’s those special times of the year that we honor veterans.
“Veterans Day is certainly one of those times, and that’s why we always make the announcement (of Veteran of the Year) and do the presentation around the Veterans Day activities.”
Past recipients of the Hattiesburg Veteran of the Year Award include, but are not limited to, Rex C. Hasty, Joseph Kinnan and Nelson Haskin Jr.
