SHS Student wins State VFW essay competition

By Dylan Smith, Managing Editor • dylan@southerntorch.com

Scottsboro, Ala – Each year Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 6073 and it’s Auxiliary holds a county-wide ‘Voice of Democracy’ competition for high school students. The local Post level competition is the first step in a National VFW competition with the opportunity to win and gain monetary recognition at Post, District, State, and National levels. The national first-place winner will be awarded up to $30,000.   

This year’s ‘Voice of Democracy’ program required participating students to prepare an audio essay 3-5 minutes in length that addressed the 2019-2020 theme of “What Makes America Great”. The essays had to be submitted before 31 October 2019. The audio essays were then judged at each level on originality, content, and delivery.

This year, Benjamin I Gossett, a senior from Scottsboro High School, was selected as the Post 6073 winner from 8 other competitors. His essay was then evaluated against 25-30 other Post level winners from the District and was selected as the 1^st place winner for District 2 VFW.  Last week, Benjamin and his family were informed that Benjamin’s audio essay had been selected as the State of Alabama VFW 1^st place winner. Benjamin’s essay has now been sent to VFW National Headquarters for the national level competition.  

As a State winner, in addition to receiving Post, District and State financial awards, Benjamin will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington DC at the end of February to tour the city, where he will be honored by the VFW and its Auxiliary and receive his portion of $154,000 in national awards.  In addition, and as a special reward, the State of Alabama VFW has invited Benjamin to attend an all-expense-paid trip to the Freedom Foundation in Valley Forge, PA in June. Later this Spring, Post 6073 will host an awards ceremony to recognize Benjamin and all winners of the various VFW program competitions.

The announcement that Benjamin was the State winner was made in front of Benjamin’s class on Monday, 13 January. The photo shows (from left to right) Larry Becker (Post Quartermaster), Benjamin Gossett, Mrs. Betty Esslinger (Benjamin’s teacher), and Nathan Green (Commander of Post 6073). 

The VFW is very proud of Benjamin and says he reflects great credit upon himself, Scottsboro High School and VFW Post 6073.