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Wlaf1450By Jim Freeman
JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF)- There he was. In uniform. He was sitting on a bench inside the Walmart. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to say hello, sit down and ask him about his service. Had he not been in his Honor Guard uniform, I likely would not have even looked his way a second time. Instead I had the honor to meet the smiling, gray haired man, former U-S Army Sergeant Dan Manning.
He was born in a house at Cumberland Gap on May 27, 1948, and he still lives in that same house. It was several years after graduating from the former Powell Valley High School in 1966 before Manning’s country came calling.
“I was 21 when I was drafted in 1969, and they sent me to Fort Gordon, Georgia, near Augusta. My next stop was Missouri, Fort Leonard Wood,” said Manning.
From Missouri, Manning was deployed to Vietnam in 1970. Sgt. Manning was a combat engineer and squad leader. “I try not to remember the war, but I can tell you it was hot there, so very hot. I was sick over there a couple of times with a parasite in my blood,” said Manning.
After returning home in 1971 and leaving the Army, Manning went to vocational school at Knoxville. He worked underground in the mines for 27 years repairing equipment and 16 years at the shop at Sears doing repairs. The 77-year old Manning has been a member of the Honor Guard of Campbell County since last year.
Thank you for your service, Sgt. Manning. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-07/04/2025-6AM)