veterans essay 2022

PATRIOT PEN

2022-2023 "PATRIOT’S PEN” ESSAY Program

"My Pledge to Our Veterans"

All information pertaining to the theme, judging, eligibility, awards, and other aspects of this program are contained in the Veterans of Foreign Wars program booklet for the Patriot’s Pen Essay Program.  District Chairmen are responsible to ensure that their District programs are conducted within these rules and deadlines.   Make sure that you distribute copies of your program to all Posts in your District in enough time to ensure a successful competition.

The Patriot’s Pen Essay Program is a joint program with the VFW Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars of Michigan.  The Auxiliary does not need the permission of a Post to participate in the Patriot’s Pen Essay Program.  Post and District Chairmen are expected to include their VFW Auxiliary counterparts in all activities concerning the conduct of local and District programs. Coordination of the District program is the sole responsibility of each District Chairman. Post Chairmen must refer to their District program for their District program requirements and deadline dates.  

  Judging the Contest

The suggested number of judges is five to nine (or a minimum of three).  Judges should be from outside your Posts/Auxiliaries and should represent your community.  Judges must not be connected in any way with the students in the competition.  Set the date for your judging and invite the judges at least 90 days in advance.  Remind them a week before the competition with a letter or email, and two days before with a phone call.

Eligibility

Sixth (6th), Seventh (7th) and Eighth (8th) grade students in public, private, parochial, and home schools in the State of Michigan.  Former first place winners at the State and National level competition or any foreign exchange student are not eligible.  Students do not have to be relatives of a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars or its VFW Auxiliary to participate.  

Essays must be typed, or computer printed in English, between 300-400 words, on a single sheet of paper, with no added color or art.            

Posts 

To receive credit for participation in the Patriot’s Pen Essay Program, a Post MUST  SPONSOR THE PROGRAM IN THEIR COMMUNITY.  While it is important to offer the Patriot’s Pen Essay Program in our schools, it is not solely a program for the schools.  You may offer the competition to any sixth, seventh or eighth grade student.  Foreign exchange students are not eligible.  All entries MUST be submitted directly to the Post.  They may be sponsored through local schools, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Church youth groups, Junior ROTC programs, etc.  The Post is encouraged to solicit participants from as many sources as possible.  

The Post will hold their own judging and may submit to District the number of students permitted by the following breakdown.  

• 1-15 student participants = 1 top Post entry is allowed to advance to District
• 16-30 student participants = 2 top Post entries are allowed to advance to District
• 31-45 student participants = 3 top Post entries are allowed to advance to District Etc.

 (Note: No Limit)

Posts may advance as many winners as they select based on the total number of students participating.  Post judging is the responsibility of the Post Chairman and must be conducted in accordance with the National Judging Criteria.   

The Post may forward each 1st place winning entry to District.  Each student entry submitted by a Post to District must be an equal 1st place winner.  This means each Post student entry sent to District must receive the same award.  For example, a Post has 55 student entries and is eligible to send four entries to District for judging.  These four entries must each receive an equal first place award from the Post. If the Post lists them as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th place, then they can only send in one entry as the 1st place winner. 

  School/Youth Group  Competition Alternatives

We offer teachers/youth leaders the option to use the Voice of Democracy as a writing exercise.  The teacher/leader may submit all the entries to the Post for judging or conduct a judging within the group/class and advance a winner for every 15 participants.  Note: The Post Chairman should make this decision; working closely with the teacher or group leader.

School/Youth Group to Post

• 1-15 student participants =   1 top Post entry is allowed to advance to District
• 31-45 student participants = 3 top Post entries are allowed to advance to District Etc. 

  (Note: No Limit)

Each District shall be responsible for the conduct of the program and judging of entries within their District.  District Chairmen are expected to promote the expansion of the program by encouraging the participation of additional Posts.  It is not always possible to restrict sponsorship strictly along VFW District boundaries.  Posts may solicit student participation from any geographical area within the State of Michigan if they do not interfere with the sponsorship of other Posts.  District Chairmen are expected to assist Posts in the coordination of sponsorship of all schools in their District.  It is unacceptable that a school is not contacted.  

Each District may submit only one entry to the Department for judging.  This entry must be certified on the proper National Entry Form by the District Chairman to be the District First Place Winner of the District Program judging.  

The following items MUST accompany the District entry to Department for judging.  

• One student essay in accordance with the above rules.
• One completed student entry from the National Program booklet
• One good quality head and shoulder photograph. Wallet size.
• One signed student release form provided by Department.
• One State Biographical Questionnaire for the District Winner.

It is the responsibility of the District Chairman to ensure that all materials are included.  Any entry that does not include all materials may not be judged.

To obtain program credit the Post Chairman portion of the Student Entry Form must be completed and submitted to District with each Post entry.  The form must include the number of students participating from the school and the approximate cost for the program and awards for that school.  Proper credit cannot be given without this information.  District Chairmen are required to prepare and submit a consolidated report of Post participation within their District using the District Report Form and the District Summary Form.  These reports should accompany the District entry to Department.  

Deadline for Post sponsored program entries is October 31, 2022 .  Post judging may not be held before November 1, 2022 and must be completed in time to ensure that winning entries are delivered to the District Chairmen by November 16, 2022 . 

District judging may not be held before November 16, 2022 and must be completed in time to ensure that the winning entry with all required materials are delivered to the Department Director by December 16, 2022 . District judging is the responsibility of the District Chairman to be conducted in accordance with the National Judging Criteria.

The Department deadline for District entries is December 16, 2022 .  This deadline is ABSOLUTE, and it includes all paperwork.  Department judging will be closed and will be the responsibility of the Department Committee.  Be advised that the state judging will be attended only by the VFW Department Committee Members, VFW State Auxiliary Committee Members, and the State Judges. The Committee has the sole authority to disqualify from the Department judging any entry which is in violation of the rules as stated in the Department Program and the National Program booklet.   

It is the responsibility of the Post, District and Department adjutants to input the Patriotic Pen entries into the All-American Dashboard. This is to include all monetary values spent on this event. Failure to do so can cause the Post to show a Not Met in this category.

All Post and District awards are the responsibility of those organizations.

Department awards will be presented at the 2023 Department of Michigan Mid-Winter Conference.  District winners receiving Department awards will be invited to the Mid-Winter Conference and are expected to be present.  The sponsoring District must assume the cost of their winner’s transportation, meals, and lodging.  Department will provide each District winner with one banquet ticket.  Banquet tickets for family members and other guests are the sole responsibility of the District in cooperation with the sponsoring Post.  

• Patriot's Pen Student Entry Form
• Student Biographical Questionnaire
• School Release Form
• Patriot's Pen District Reporting Packet
• Patriot's Pen Score Sheet

Michael Martin, Director

199 East 34th St, Apt 1

Holland MI 49423

616-594-9151

[email protected]

Evelyn Avery

Dept Auxiliary Scholarship Chairman

44936 CR 352

Decatur MI 49045

269-423-8129

[email protected]

Address 12440 NE Halsey St. Portland, OR 97230 Contact Us via Email

Menu Home About Programs Resources News Contact Members Only

Links Site Admin Webmail Follow on Facebook VFW National VFW Store National Auxiliary Site

VFW Post 2197

Patriot’s Pen

2022-2023 Theme “My Pledgeto our Veterans.”

Student Entry Deadline: 31 October 2022

Patriotic written essay competition grand prize: $5,000 award.

What is the Patriot’s Pen Program? Conducted nationwide, this VFW-sponsored youth essay competition gives students an opportunity to write essays expressing their views on an annual patriotic theme. We invite you to join the more than 84,000 students who participated last year in this contest.

Why Should I Enter? Prizes and scholarships can be awarded at the Post, District, State and national level. Department (State) winners receive a portion of $55,000 in national awards. National Winners will receive at least $500. The first-place national award is currently $5,000 .

The Internal Revenue Service requires a recipient awarded more than $599 be given Form 1099 identifying the proceeds as taxable income. This may require the winner to provide their social security number.

How Does the Contest Work? All entries begin at the VFW Post level. The only exception is where schools/classes/youth groups have large numbers of students and wish to conduct their own competition, submitting one winner for each 15 students to the VFW Post. Individual students may submit their entry directly to the Post. The contest consists of four levels. The first level (entry) is sponsored by VFW Posts. Post winners advance, one for every 15 entries, to the VFW District (regional) level where the one first-place winner is advanced to the VFW Department (state) level. The first-place winner at the Department level is then advanced into the VFW national competition.

Who Can Enter? Patriot’s Pen is open to 6th, 7th and 8th-grade students enrolled by the Oct. 31 deadline in public, private or parochial schools in the U.S., its territories or its possessions. Home-schooled students also are eligible. Although U.S. citizenship is not required, students must be lawful U.S. permanent residents or have applied for permanent residence (the application which has not been denied) and intends to become a U.S. citizen at the earliest opportunity allowed by law. (Foreign exchange students or former winners that placed in the National contest are ineligible.)

How Do I Get Started? • Ask a teacher or youth group/club adult leader to supervise the Patriot’s Pen writing contest. • Contact a participating VFW Post and indicate your interest in participating. • Establish a contact person who is a member of that VFW Post or its VFW Auxiliary. • Make sure that your essay is submitted to the VFW Post before the contest deadline of Oct. 31, 2022. You can submit your essay and entry form by email upon the Post’s approval. Entries sent to the VFW National Headquarters directly will be returned.

How Am I Judged? Knowledge of the theme is worth 30 points: You must show a thorough knowledge of the theme in your work. Demonstrate you have researched the issue extensively.

Theme development is worth 35 points: Answer all relevant facts about the theme such as the who, what, where, when and why. Relate the theme to your own experiences.

Clarity of ideas is worth 35 points: Write your essay in an easy-to-understand format. Leave your reader with a clear understanding of your explanation of the theme.

What Is the Theme? VFW’s Commander-in-Chief annually chooses the year’s theme.

The 2022-2023 theme is:

“My Pledge To Our Veterans.”

Deadline Information. To qualify, all entries must be submitted to a sponsoring VFW Post by midnight October 31, 2022.

Note: If you need help finding a participating VFW Post, follow these instructions:

First, visit vfw.org/FindaPost to “Find a VFW Post.”

If you don’t have success in finding a Post, or if you have trouble contacting them, you can contact your VFW Department (state) headquarters office to see if they can offer any information or assistance. You can visit vfw.org/contactus to look for “Find a State Contact” to get your VFW state office’s phone number and Email.

For assistance contact the VFW National Headquarters at 816.756.3390 ext. 6155 Email: [email protected]

PATRIOT'S PEN

2024-2025 THEME: 

"My Voice in America's Democracy"

WHAT IS THE PATRIOT’S PEN?

Conducted nationwide, this VFW-sponsored youth essay competition gives students an opportunity to write essays expressing their views on an annual patriotic theme. We invite you to join the more than 73,000 students who participated last year in this contest.  

WHO CAN ENTER?

Patriot’s Pen is open to 6th, 7th and 8th-grade students enrolled by the Oct. 31 deadline in public, private or parochial schools in the U.S., its territories or its possessions; or dependents of U.S. military or civilian personnel in overseas schools. Home-schooled students also are eligible. Although U.S. citizenship is not required, students must be lawful U.S. permanent residents or have applied for permanent residence (the application which has not been denied) and intends to become a U.S. citizen at the earliest opportunity allowed by law. (Foreign exchange students are ineligible.)

PATRIOT’S PEN Deadlines: The deadlines for Patriot’s Pen are as follows:

 1.     Midnight, October 31, Entries to the Post*

2.    November 15, Completion of Post judging**

3.    December 10, Completion of District judging**

4.    December 10, January 15, Posts need to submit report on dashboard to acknowledge that they participated in Patriot Pen*

5.    December 13, Email or fax a copy of your winning essay to the email or fax above*(Email preferred)

6.    December 15, District winning entry packet  with head shot picture of winner must be received by Department Chairman*

7.    January 10, Completion of Department judging**

8.    January 15, District participation reports to Department Chairman* District chairmen should roll up the post reports into one District report. All District reports must be received by 15 January and include the phone number and email address of the chairman of that district .*

9.    January 15, Districts must submit a report and approve post reports on dashboard to acknowledge that the posts and District participated in Patriot Pen*

10.  January 15, Department winners to National*

11.  January 31, Department reports to National*

  *required deadlines

**suggested deadlines

DO NOT mail District entries and required forms to State Headquarters!

Mail them directly to the State Patriot’s Pen Chairman!

Department (State) Awards:

First, second, and third place state winners will receive awards presented by State Chairman at the Mid-Winter Conference.

Click here to view the Rules & Eligibility Requirements:  Patriots-Pen-Rules-and-Eligibility.pdf

Click here to download the current year Entry Form:  Patriots-Pen-Entry-Form-Fillable.pdf

  Contact our State Patr iot's Pen Chairman for more information:

Address 10185 Mammoth Baton Rouge, LA 70814 Contact Us via Email Phone: 225.928-5025

Menu Home About Programs Resources News Contact Members Only

Links Site Admin Webmail Follow on Facebook VFW National VFW Store National Auxiliary Site

2022-2023 PATRIOT'S PEN

The VFW has announced the topics for the 2022-2023 Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen youth essay competitions.

Patriot’s Pen -- "My Pledge to Our Veterans”

Address 3300 Constitution Drive Springfield, IL 62711 Contact Us via Email Phone: 217-529-6688 Fax: 217-546-3415

Menu Home About Programs Resources News Contact Members Only

Links Site Admin Webmail Follow on Facebook VFW National VFW Store National Auxiliary Site

PATRIOTS PEN

2022 - 2023 Theme "My Pledge to Our Veterans”

The 2022 Student Entry Deadline is October 31, 2021, Click below to download the rules & eligibility and the Student Entry Form

Rules & Eligibility:

Student Entry Form: Patriotic Essay Writing Competition Grand Prize: $5,000 Award

Address 4622 Dutch Mill Road Madison, WI 53716 Contact Us via Email Phone: 608-221-5276 Fax: 608-221-5277

Menu Home About Programs Resources News Contact Members Only

Links Site Admin Webmail Follow on Facebook VFW National VFW Store National Auxiliary Site

Virginia War Memorial seeking entries for 2022 Veterans Day student essay contest

RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ) - The Virginia War Memorial in Richmond is seeking entries for the Virginia War Memorial 2022 Veterans Day Student Essay Contest .

The annual contest is open to all Virginia middle and high school age public, private and homeschool students.

The essay topic for the 2022 contest is “ A Virginian who served in the United States military during the Vietnam War who inspires you. ” Students may consider a member of their family, of their community, or a famous man or woman from Virginia who served in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces as their subject. Essays should be 500-750 words in length and utilize interviews and primary sources whenever possible.

The two students who write the winning essays will each receive a prize package courtesy of the Virginia War Memorial Foundation and each of their designated teachers will receive a $100 gift card to purchase classroom supplies.

The deadline for entries for the Virginia War Memorial 2022 Veterans Day Student Essay Contest to be submitted to the Virginia War Memorial website is 11:59 p.m., Sunday, October 16, 2022. Complete information regarding the essay theme, rules, guidelines and how to enter is available online at https://vawarmemorial.org/learn/contests-scholarships/essay/ or by contacting Virginia War Memorial Assistant Education Director Crystal Coon at [email protected] .

Copyright 2022 WDBJ. All rights reserved.

Court records outline accusations against Boones Mill mayoral candidate

Court documents shed details on 11-year-old Franklin County double murder

Suspect arrested in Ferncliff shooting

“He loved people, he was full of light, full of life and joy.” Cash Gaudio’s family remembers his light after loss

Weekend front sends temperatures tumbling Sunday

Some Roanoke restaurants delinquent on meal taxes

Winning $478 million Powerball lottery ticket sold

Six arrested after home invasion and chase

Latest news.

Photo-enforcement cameras in effect starting Monday in Montgomery County school zones

7@four previews Blue Ridge Festival of Bands

7@four Previews Blue Ridge Festival of Bands

Banning Tobacco and Vaping near Schools

Roanoke County considers ban on vape sales near schools

VCCS Skilled Trade Summit

Two suspects in custody after fire at school targeted by vandalism

Surveillance photos released after new round of Gretna school vandalism

Roanoke eighth-grader earns top honors in 2022 Veterans Day student essay contest

by Caitlyn Frolo

RICHMOND, Va. (WSET) — An eighth-grade student from Roanoke and a high school sophomore from Chesterfield County were the first-place winners in the Virginia War Memorial’s 2022 Veterans Day Student Essay Contest.

The winners were announced at the 66th Annual Commonwealth’s Veterans Day Ceremony held Friday, November 11 at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond.

The winner in the middle school category is Mason Bibby, who attends North Cross School in Roanoke. His teacher is Mrs. Robin Garrett.

SEE ALSO: Virginia Western culinary professor to compete at Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg

The winner in the high school category is Katie Wittenbraker, a 10th-grade student at Monacan High School in Chesterfield. Ms. Erica Harris is her teacher.

The annual contest was open to middle and high school-age students throughout Virginia enrolled in public or private schools or homeschooled.

The essay topic for the 2022 competition was, “A Virginian who served in the United States Military during the Vietnam War who inspires me.”

The contest winners, Mason Bibby and Katie Wittenbraker traveled to Richmond accompanied by their parents and teachers and read aloud their essays on stage as part of the Commonwealth’s Veterans Day Ceremony. Each winner received a prize package presented by the Virginia War Memorial Foundation.

SEE ALSO: Attorney General Miyares announces $391.5M settlement with Google, Virginia to get $10M+

The students were also personally congratulated by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, First Lady Suzanne Youngkin, and Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs Craig Crenshaw.

“We join with all our fellow Virginians in congratulating Katie and Mason on their winning entries in our 2022 Veterans Day Student Essay Contest and also congratulate all of the students from throughout the Commonwealth that took the time to write essays and participated this year,” said Dr. Clay Mountcastle, Virginia War Memorial Director. “Thanks also to Katie and Mason’s teachers, Mrs. Garrett and Ms. Harris, who encouraged them to write their submissions. Educating our young people and passing on the stories of service and sacrifice of our men and women who served is one of our most important missions here at the Virginia War Memorial. With their inspiring words, these students demonstrate the importance of this mission.”

The winning essays are posted online on the Virginia War Memorial Foundation website .

"My Pledge to Our Veterans." - 2022 Theme VFW Patriot's Pen Scholarship

Patriot's Pen

The essay contest encourages young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society, by drafting a 300- to 400-word essay, expressing their views based on a patriotic theme chosen by the VFW Commander-in-Chief. Before submitting your essay, read the rules and eligibility requirements , and find your sponsoring local VFW Post as applications must be turned in by midnight, Oct. 31 . Download and complete the 2022-2023 entry form here .

The 2022-23 theme is:  "My Pledge to Our Veterans."

Each year, nearly 68,800 students in grades 6-8 enter the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest for a chance to win their share of more than $1.4 million in state and national awards. Each first place state winner receives a minimum of $500 at the national level, and the national first place winner wins $5,000

Related articles:

Related memorial day articles.

Memorial Day at the Reagan Library

Memorial Day Placement 7am - 11am Saturday 5/28/22

Memorial Day a Review of Its Origins

82nd Fight Squadron Final Ceremony at March AFB

Grocers and Retailers Respect Memorial Day | San Fernando Valley News Portal (town.news)

Articles concerning Veterans

"Why is the Veteran Important?" - 2022 Theme VFW Scholarship

#StillServing: The VFW Podcast

Ace works with the VFW to give away 1 million American flags for Memorial Day tributes

LA Fleet Week Expo and Ship Tours May 29th

LA Fleet Week Expo and Ship Tours May 28th

LA Fleet Week Expo and Ship Tours May 27th

Why Does Mexico Fly the Flag Half Staff on May 2nd? What significance is May 28th?

More News from Calabasas

• Harvest Festivals & Trunk or Treat Events Scattered across the Valley this weekend is a number of events augmenting or replacing door-to-door trick-or-treating. Trunk or Treat: Decorate the Trunk of Your Car!
• Determinant of Legislation Effective Date The default start date of California legislation is January 1st following enactment, as defined in the California Constitution, Article IV, Section 8; with some exceptions.

More news from San Fernando Valley News Portal

Harvest festivals & trunk or treat events, determinant of legislation effective date.

Partly Cloudy , with a high of 76 and low of 61 degrees. Partly Cloudy during the morning, sunny in the afternoon, cloudy in the evening, clear overnight.

McGroarty Arts Center Music Teacher Opportunities!

Volunteers needed: mcgroarty holiday festival, camarillo sex registrant compliance sweep, videos for consumers ca contractors license board website, most wanted; posted by ca contractors license board, today is not the last day to register to vote for 2024, ladyface mountain film festival feb. 2025, congress in recess until november, reuse & recycle: new state & federal legislation, week 42 2024 southern california patents.

Member Login

Forgot username or password?

Are you a new user, what is id.me • video tutorials for id.me.

2022 Virtual Parade of Winners

Join us April 1 at 7 p.m. CDT for the 2022 virtual Parade of Winners and see who takes home the top $30,000 prize!

• Media & Events
• VFW Legislative Conference

Every year, nearly 230,000 of our nation's youth compete in the VFW's Voice of Democracy and Patriot's Pen audio essay competitions for their chance to win a portion of more than $3 million in college scholarships and awards.

The competitions culminate with the Parade of Winners event, designed to celebrate and recognize the contests’ top national winners. 

This year, the VFW will host its annual Parade of Winners virtually on April 7 at 7 p.m. CDT, live on Facebook. B e sure to tap “interested,” then “going” on the Facebook event to ensure you stay up-to-date and receive all event notifications. To listen to the winning essay from your state, click here . 

During the historic event, VFW and VFW Auxiliary state and national leadership, representatives from program sponsors Twisted X , and this year’s 52 Voice of Democracy Department (state) winners will come together from all over the world as we crown the 2022 national Voice of Democracy first place winner.

Open to eligible middle and high school students, the Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen essay competitions require students submit an essay based on a selected patriotic theme. Winning entries selected by local VFW Posts go on to compete at their District and Department (state) level, with state winners competing at the national level.

The Voice of Democracy top prize is the $30,000 T.C. Selman Memorial Scholarship, and the Patriot’s Pen grand prize winner receives the $5,000 Paul A. Spera Past Commander-in-Chief Award.

Voice of Democracy

Established in 1947, our Voice of Democracy audio-essay program provides high school students with the unique opportunity to express themselves in regards to a democratic and patriotic-themed recorded essay.  Each year, nearly 25,000 ninth through 12th grade students from across the country enter to win their share of more than $1 million in educational scholarships and incentives awarded through the program. 

The national first place winner receives a $35,000 scholarship paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college or vocational/technical school. A complete list of other national scholarships range from $1,000-$21,000, and the first place winner from each VFW Department (state) wins at least a scholarship of $1,000. Before submitting your essay, download the  2024-2025 entry form here  and find your sponsoring  local VFW Post  as applications must be turned in by  midnight, Oct. 31 . 

The 2024-25 theme is:  "Is America Today Our Forefathers' Vision?"

About the 2023-2024 winner ...

Sophia Lin, a high school junior at BASIS Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona, was named the 2023-2024 Voice of Democracy first place winner. Sophia's speech on the theme, "What Are the Greatest Attributes of Our Democracy?" won her a $35,000 college scholarship. Sophia was sponsored by Scottsdale VFW Post 3513. Watch as Sophia delivered her speech during the VFW's Parade of Winners award  ceremony or read it here .

Want to catch up on everything that happened this year? You can watch the full Parade of Winners ceremony which was streamed live on Facebook, or see this year's complete list of winners .

Patriot's Pen

Each year, nearly 68,800 students in sixth through eighth grades enter the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest for a chance to win their share of nearly $1 million in state and national awards. Each first place state winner receives a minimum of $500 at the national level, and the national first place winner wins $5,000! 

The essay contest encourages young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society, by drafting a 300- to 400-word essay, expressing their views based on a patriotic theme chosen by the VFW Commander-in-Chief. Before submitting your essay,  download the 2024-2025 entry form here  and find your sponsoring local VFW Post  as applications must be turned in by  midnight, Oct. 31 . 

The 2024-25 theme is:  "My Voice in America's Democracy?"

Bryant Day, an eighth grade student from Ashland, Ohio, was named the 2023-2024 Patriot's Pen first place winner. His essay on the theme, "How Are You Inspired by America?" won the national first place $5,000 award. Bryant was sponsored by VFW Post 9943 and its Auxiliary in Mansfield, Ohio.

Watch as Bryant delivered his winning essay during the VFW's Parade of Winners streamed live on Facebook, or read  his essay here.  See the complete list of 2024 national winners .

Find Out More

Patriot's Pen

Vfw in the community.

Kiwanis Club

Of clarksville, tn, veterans essay contest 2021.

Thank you to all of the schools that participated in our 2021 Interview a Veteran Essay Contest. In this, our 22nd year, over 4,000 students completed essays. This year’s theme was “ How Did Interviewing (Veteran’s Name) Affect My View on Freedom and Citizenship? “

Below are videos submitted by each school winner at the middle and high school levels.

Photo credit: Jane Gilman

Middle School Winners

High school winners.