We Honor the Ones We’ve Lost & Support the Ones Who Returned

Issue #100

27 May

In this What’s Up Columbia issue…

🗓 List of Upcoming Events

⛅️ Columbia Weather - Partyly cloudy with a high of 84

🇺🇸 Today’s Memorial Day Services

🇺🇸 We Honor the Ones We’ve Lost & Support the Ones Who Returned

🐴 Calico Junction Ranch Offers Free Trail Rides to all Service Members

🎵 This Week’s Live Music

🎬 VidAngel’s Memorial Day Sale - Watch more stuff, without the bad stuff!

🗓 Know of Some Local Events Not Listed? Send us the Details! 

Upcoming Local Events

🗓 Have an event to add? Send us the Details!

Monday, May 27th

Tuesday, May 28th

Wednesday, May 29th

Thursday, May 30th

Friday, May 31st

Saturday, June 1st

Sunday, June 2nd

Today’s Memorial Day Services

Today’s Memorials…

9:00 AM - Wreath-laying ceremony at the Maury County Courthouse

9:00 AM - Wreath-laying ceremony at the John Harlan Willis Bridge (near 100 Nashville Hwy)

10:00 AM - Memorial Day at Polk Memorial Gardens (6465 Trotwood Ave.). This event will feature special guests from Operation Song, honoring the brave souls who have given all for our nation. Let us come together to pay tribute to their sacrifice and remember their legacy. All are welcome!

History of the namesake of the John Harlan Willis Bridge:

Willis, a Columbia native, was wounded during fierce fighting near Hill 362 (Iwo Jima) and ordered to the battlefield aid station. Despite his injuries he returned to the battlefield and was tending to a fallen U.S. Marine when enemy soldiers attacked with hand grenades. Willis picked up and threw back eight grenades but died when the ninth one exploded in his hand. -Historical Marker Database 

We Honor the Ones We’ve Lost & Support the Ones Who Returned

Credit: Fitzgerald Freedom Ranch in Mt. Pleasant

On Memorial Day, we honor the ones we’ve lost and we also support the ones who returned…

We’d like to highlight a few local organizations that do so much to support the veteran community in Columbia / Maury County.

The mission of Vet to Vet TN is to provide peer support for Veterans recovering from mental health issues and substance abuse, and offers strategies and coping skills for living a healthy lifestyle. We are all about camaraderie and helping veterans and their families in need wether it is connection to services and benefits, rides, car, and financial struggles. Any branch, era, war, and family members are welcome.

Weekly: Monday mornings at Puckett’s (7-9AM) in downtown Columbia (your first breakfast is on us and them 50% off after that) and Wednesday’s at Asgard Brewery (6PM). 

At the Fitzgerald Freedom Ranch we help veterans and their families understand the challenges veterans face in civilian life and offer a new approach for meeting the needs of the military civilian. This is accomplished through a combination of access to the Fitzgerald Freedom Ranch, the community at the Ranch, and the availability of trauma releasing sessions with the option for recalibration of the military identity as discussed in the Fitzgerald Theory. 

“The whole idea is to help veterans be able to relax, heal, and play; then give them a place where they actually have the opportunity to do all of these things.” 

The mission of the Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor.

A Quilt of Valor® (QOV) is a quality, handmade quilt that is machine or hand quilted. It is awarded to a Service Member or Veteran who has been touched by war.  The Quilt says unequivocally, “Thank you for your service and sacrifice in serving our nation.”

There are QOV coordinators for districts all across the nation (including Tennessee). If you’d like to nominate a service member or living veteran to receive a Quilt of Valor, find details on their website here.

Operation Stand Down Tennessee is the only comprehensive Veteran-serving agency in middle Tennessee connecting Veterans with careers, community, and crisis services. If you or your spouse served in the military, let Operation Stand Down Tennessee engage, equip, and empower you to succeed. Call or visit one of our VA-approved Welcome Centers today.

Columbia Campus
1900 B Shady Brook St, Columbia, TN 38401
615.523.5956

DAV Helps more than a million veterans every year. We stand ready to provide a lifetime of support to veterans of all generations, their families and their survivors at no cost.

Note: We’re aware that there are many other wonderful veteran’s organizations in our area. Stay tuned… we’re creating a special page to keep all of these links & details organized!

Calico Junction Ranch Offers Free Trail Rides to all Service Members

Attention ALL Military personnel - Active duty and retired.

Memorial Day SPECIAL

Everyone here at Calico Junction Ranch would like to thank you for your service. We are offering a free trail ride to all service members with a paying guest.

You must call to reserve a time.
Payment is due @ time of booking.
These spots will fill up quickly, so please call and get booked in.

Note: Guides work for tips, so we do ask that you show them appreciation.

No age restrictions
250lb weight limit-unless otherwise discussed
Mounting ramp available

We would also like to thank our very own veteran, Chief Jim Nothstein - 27 years of service Air Force special Ops and owner of this special ranch who takes pride in sharing this beautiful place and experience with others.

🎵 Next Week’s Live Music 🎵

(sponsor)

Vid Angel’s Memorial Day Sale is on!! For a limited time, get 50% for your first 3 months! For just $4.99, you get access to thousands of movies and TV shows you love without the stuff you’d rather not see/hear.

Automatically skip or mute foul language, sexual content, violence, and more in the newest movies and TV shows from popular streaming services like Netflix, Peacock, Prime Video, AppleTV+, and more. Click here to see how it works!

Use Code:
DEEPER