Service remembered

County Veterans Museum showcases artifacts from World War I to Afghanistan

February 11, 2026 by Ben Pounds

It was a World War II prisoner of war flag, found at an Andersonville church, with many details unknown, but Gary Jensen wanted to save it for all to see.

“It was going to go in a trash can because no one was sure who to give it to,” he said, adding that he picked it up from another parishioner.

Jensen kept it in a display case at home for years. But this month he gave it to Veteran Service Officer Scott Nation at his office in the Anderson County Courthouse, 100 N. Main St., Room 114.

The flag joined many other artifacts from different years and branches of service from flags, both U.S. and captured from enemies, to uniforms, masks and grenades in a lobby and side room.

Artifacts span World War I, World War II, Vietnam, Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Anyone interested in seeing those artifacts or in donating other ones can come on Monday through Friday 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

“If they want to stop by and look, feel free,” Nation said.

The museum also is open to non-veterans and even to families with children.

He called the exhibits “near and dear to my heart.”

Nation said there is no formal system for dropping off items, but he would like people to notify the office before bringing them in.

The flag Jensen brought had belonged to Frank Leroy Whitehead, a World War II POW who died in September 1989. Jensen said he had no other details other than that Whitehead was from Anderson County.

“It means it should be here and not at my house,” he told The Courier News as he dropped it off at the museum.

Jensen himself served in the U.S. Army from 1987 through 2022 and said he appreciated the museum’s collection.

“Some of these things are personal,” he said. “It’s not just a grenade or something like that. or a helmet. There’s some people’s stuff in there with names and photos.

“Being able to keep that history alive, who knows? Someone might be able to walk in there and see their grandfather’s picture, their great grandfather’s picture and realize that’s where he was at or what he had done. So, this is kind of cool for history.”

Jensen added that the museum contains the kinds of items he’d used in his own career. He said it brought back nostalgia among service members for time periods to which they could not return.

Visitors to the museum start out in the lobby, where they can see two items that show the historical scope of the museum. On one wall hangs a framed set of letters from a sailor who served in 1918, including a picture of the Eiffel Tower in France, donated by family members.

“When the family donates it, it’s a little more sacred,” said Nation.

On another wall of the lobby hangs a flag that flew in Tuz Khurmatu, Iraq, to honor fallen soldiers. A sign next to it lists Tennessee residents who died in that conflict, including Sgt. First Class Stephen C. Kennedy, who died in Balad Ruz, Iraq, when enemy forces attacked his patrol using small-arms fire on April 4, 2005.

A picture above the flag shows a Tennessee Army National Guard unit with members from Clinton, Andersonville, Oliver Springs, Oak Ridge and Powell. Its commander, Capt. John Alex Groff, saw the flag fly in Iraq and donated it to Nation. Groff retired as a major and currently lives in Oak Ridge.

“Having it here in the office is a true honor and privilege,” he said. He said he hoped people would look at it and see some of the sacrifices people had made.

Groff said of the service members listed, “They truly made the ultimate sacrifice for our country during that time.”

Nation did not see the flag fly, but he served alongside Groff, although not in Iraq. Nation joined the Army National Guard in 1991 and retired in 2020, with a career focused on training and recruitment. He served in Johnson City, Knoxville and Nashville.

A binder on a stand gives names and photos of veterans and service members tied to the county, and a sign encourages other veterans to bring their own.

For more information, call at 865-463-6803 or email snation@andersoncountytn.gov