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Wlaf1450To be held at the First Baptist Church of Jacksboro from 8am until 10am
By Charlotte Underwood
JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF)- Saturday, October 4, marks the 41st Veteran’s Appreciation Breakfast, a weekly event started by the county mayor’s office and sponsored by local businesses and organizations.
TCAT Jacksboro is sponsoring the October 4th Veteran’s Breakfast which will be held at the Jacksboro First Baptist Church at 8 am.
Veterans and their families are invited to attend the event. According to organizers, there are usually over 100 veterans that attend each breakfast, and the hope is to have more come each month.
TCAT Jacksboro is proud to sponsor the event, according to TCAT Jacksboro President Dr. Debbie Petree who said that TCAT has a number of veterans enrolled in courses at the school currently and often has veterans take courses through the G.I. Bill.
“We really appreciate the service of our veteran students as well as all those who have served our country,” Dr. Petree said.
TCAT Jacksboro sponsored a Veterans Breakfast in Jacksboro and in Jellico last year as well.
“We also do a veterans breakfast or lunch for our vets here on campus; we want them to know we appreciate them and their service,” Petree said.
The TCAT Jacksboro campus was built in 1967, with classes starting in January 1968.
“Since that time, we have served hundreds and maybe thousands of students that have gained skills to go get high wage, high demand jobs. All of the accomplishments to date and all of those to come are not the work of one person, but an entire team. Our team everyday goes above and beyond to serve our students and our employers,” Petree said.
The technical college is undergoing some exciting upgrades of its own with the construction of a new 96,000 square foot facility will “more than double” its size from its current 48,000 square feet and will provide room for additional programs and student growth.
TCAT Jacksboro broke ground on its new $55.5 million dollar facility on December 4, 2024, and the building is already coming along on schedule, according to Petree.
After the new building is completed, it will have “a dedicated break space for veteran students” on campus, with a coffee maker and supplies.
On Thursday, County Mayor Jack Lynch, Vice Mayor Randy Brown and Veterans Services Director Shane Prater visited TCAT Jacksboro to speak with veterans, thank them for their service and to personally invite them to Saturday’s breakfast.
“We keep it nonpolitical and keep it what it should be, an appreciation breakfast for our Veterans, to show our appreciation for your service and dedication to our country. We are very pleased TCAT can do this,” Lynch said.
Vice Mayor Randy Brown told veterans they would find a good meal, good fellowship and friendship at each veteran’s breakfast event.
“The main thing, we want to make sure you as vets are receiving the benefits you have earned serving our country,” Brown said.
Veterans Services Director Shane Prater encouraged any TCAT vets to come see him at the local VA office with any questions or for any benefits they may not be getting. “We started these Veteran’s breakfasts three years ago and they keep growing. It’s something our veterans deserve, and we are proud to be a part of it and proud to partner with our local businesses and organizations to provide these breakfasts for our vets in the community,” Lynch said. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-09/26/2025-6AM-PHOTOS COURTESY OF WLAF’S CHARLIE HUTSON)