By Hannah Curran, Editor
TRUSSVILLE — The Trussville Veterans Committee project was to ensure that an American Flag was displayed in every room and office within the Trussville City Schools (TCS) as the schools are continually growing. The Flag Presentation Ceremony took place at Cahaba Elementary School (CES) on Friday, May 6, at 10 a.m.

City officials, TCS employees, veterans, and Trussville Veterans Committee attended the ceremony. (Photo by Hannah Curran)
The City of Trussville Veterans Committee’s goal is to highlight, honor, and pay respect to our veterans and their families. Trussville Veterans Committee took on this project to honor these heroes and the many heroes throughout our city, state, and country.
“When we started the project, we thought it would be a good idea to partner with another Veteran Organization,” Trussville Veterans Committee Chad Caroll said. “So we asked our local American Legion Post 205 to partner with us on this project. Once we captured how many flags we needed, we began reaching out to companies asking for donations. The American Legion Post 205 stood up and said they would donate all the Flags and Brackets needed for the project, so Thank You to American Legion Post 205.”
Caroll said the Trussville Veterans Committee also wanted to add a special touch to the flags, so they had them flown on a KC-135 Refueling Mission out of the 117th Air Refueling Wing in Birmingham.
Mayor Buddy Choat said this was the reason for creating the Trussville Veteran Committee “because the whole idea behind the Veterans Committee is to support our veterans, our heroes, fallen warriors in the past.”

Dr. Neill presented a case that held her father’s military-issued gun during the ceremony. (Photo by Hannah Curran)
“The symbolic gesture of a flag sounds very simple, but it’s so meaningful that people don’t understand, particularly young people, and to be able to put these flags in the schools and remind them every day, how fortunate we are to live in this country means everything to me and to the veterans committee,” Choat said.
The students, facility, and visitors will be able to see the flags daily, and Caroll said it will serve as a reminder that “we are the Greatest Country in the World.”
Caroll said there are many heroes within the Trussville community that do not wear uniforms but provide acts of kindness every single day.
“These heroes include our school facility, lunchroom staff, janitors, bus drivers, parents, city officials, businesses, and our children,” Caroll said. “Heroes’ every day are encouraging, mentoring, leading, motivating, and developing our children and community. Whenever you pass by an American Flag, I would encourage you to stop and think about the heroes that have encouraged you.”
Caroll said to him the meaning of the American Flag is sacrifice, pride, opportunity, strength, and freedom.
- Sacrifice: Citizens have sacrificed for the greater good of our country. Many Americans sacrifice noble acts without a guarantee of a reward;
- Pride: We belong to a land of democracy, opportunity, and freedom;
- Opportunity: We are the Land of Opportunity, where people come to build a better life;
- Strength: The United States of America offers many freedoms and jobs that are not available in other countries; and
- Freedom: If you were to look in the dictionary, you will see a picture of the American Flag next to the word Freedom. We are the home of the free and brave. America is founded on the very construct of freedom.
The colors of the American Flag make up the identity of every American citizen in this great country. The Red symbolizes hardiness and valor; the white symbolizes purity and innocence, and the blue represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice. The American Flag has survived battles, inspired songwriters, and evolved in response to the growth of the country it represents. The American Flag has been flown all over the world, including the U.S. Embassy’s, North Pole, Mount Everest, Space, Under the Sea, City Streets, Schools, and draped over the caskets of our fallen heroes.

Chad Carroll presented a certificate and Special Flag to Dr. Neill and Sandra Vernon. (Photo by Hannah Curran)
TCS Superintendent Dr. Patti Neill said this means a lot to TCS and to her personally before her father is one of the few remaining WWII veterans.
“I appreciate the veterans for getting a flag in every classroom, and they honored us today with that contribution,” Neill said. “My father was an army captain, and he was captain of the military police. It just means the world to keep the story of the veterans alive, and each story is different. Now my dad happened to be in World War Two, but if you talk to any veteran from the Korean War or Vietnam War forward, all of their stories are as important, but they’re also different.”
CES Principal Joy Tyner said to her this project builds on the tradition that is already in place. Students say the Pledge of Allegiance and sing the Star-Spangled Banner every morning.
“Dr. Neill talked about her father, being a veteran, my father’s a veteran, and we have several teachers in our school that have children,” Tyner said. “They’re actively serving in the military right now. So it does have a special meaning to us and our Cahaba family.”
A certificate and a special flag were presented to Neill and the Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent, Sandra Vernon.