Thanks to singer/songwriter Brice Long and his Back2Back Foundation, as well as the Cadiz Restaurant, the proud Trigg County Middle School 8th Grade Veterans Breakfast Celebration returned to Cadiz Friday morning — kicking off Veteran’s Day weekend for Trigg Countians.
A brainchild of middle school teacher Kim Mroch, this is the fifth time it’s ever been held, and the first time since 2019.
More than 40 active and retired local veterans were in attendance, representing the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Mroch quipped, telling students that opportunities in the U.S. Coast Guard and Space Force could be bright careers.
Behind Long and the support of many local table sponsors and donors, the breakfast has become a fundraising mechanism for Hopkinsville’s Pennyroyal Veterans Center. Magistrate Jeff Broadbent, who serves as the PVC’s program manager, was on hand for a $2,490.45 check.
To date, the breakfast/brunch has raised more than $13,000 for the organization — one Mroch said she learned about while teaching at Christian County High School.
Since then, while honoring close friends and Trigg County graduates Collin and Taryn Baker, this meal has gone from small to mighty.
And while it’s a way to give back, she said she’s become the “keeper of military stories” at the middle school, and for a very personal reason.
Caroline Kosak, winner of this year’s prized “Patriots Pen” from the James Thomas Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, shared her winning speech — noting she was most inspired by four strong women from America’s civic and military history.
Sybil Ludington, Harriet Tubman, Clara Barton and Susan B. Anthony.
The TCMS Jazz Band played a three-minute rendition of “American Patrol” — a Glenn Miller arrangement — while most students from the eighth grade class played some role in Friday’s feast.
This year’s breakfast had more than 30 sponsors in tow.
One table was left with an empty plate, an empty chair and a light candle — honoring soldiers who were missing in action, prisoners of war or killed in action.
Kosak’s Full Speech:
