Commander Terry Daniell of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. Post Thaddeus H. Caraway 2278 recently announced the kickoff of the VFW's annual Patriot's Pen youth essay competition.
Middle school students in grades 6-8 in this area have the opportunity to compete and win thousands of dollars in national awards, a news release said.
The VFW enacted the Patriot's Pen competition in 1995 to encourage young minds to examine America's history, along with their own experiences in modern American society by composing a 300- to 400-word patriotic-themed essay.
The theme for the 2022-2023 competition is "My Pledge to Our Veterans."
Students begin by competing at the local Post level. Post winners advance to the District competition with District winners advancing to the state competition. State first-place winners compete for their share of thousands of dollars in awards, and the national first-place winner is awarded $5,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C.
Each year, more than 125,000 students participate nationwide. The deadline for student entries is Oct. 31, and interested students and teachers should contact their local VFW Post 2278 by calling 501-771-4278 or emailing [email protected] for more information.
For more information, visit https://www.vfw.org/PatriotsPen.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is the nation's largest and oldest major war veterans organization, according to the release.