CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – We’re lucky to live in a community that veterans value as a desired location to retire when they leave the service. And we’re especially lucky when they make a lasting difference in the place they now call home.
In recognition of Veterans Day 2023, here are 10 Clarksville veterans (in alphabetical order) who have made a difference this year. We appreciate all they’ve done for our community, both before and after their time in the military.
1. Doug Englen
For the last three years, veteran Doug Englen has been the Fort Campbell representative at Bell Flight, the company that won the Army contract to build a fleet of next-generation Future Vertical Lift aircraft.
The Army announced in December 2022 that Bell Textron’s Valor tiltrotor will replace the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, which has been in service for more than four decades and is a primary aircraft in the fleet of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell. Englen has been the local public face of Bell, helping to herald the change and the opportunities that the new aircraft contract could bring to the Clarksville area.
Englen retired from the Army after 33 years of service as a Chief Warrant Officer 5. He served as the Senior Warrant Officer advisor to the Secretary of the Army. He is also chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Party and is a member of the Tennessee Republican Party Executive Committee.
MORE: Army needs to upgrade helicopter fleet with Future Vertical Lift technologies | OPINION
2. Rep. Ronnie Glynn
Retired Master Sgt. Ronnie Glynn won election to the state Legislature in November 2022 to represent District 67, covering much of the city of Clarksville.
Glynn almost immediately stepped into leadership positions. The Democrat was assigned to three committees: Education Instruction, Criminal Justice and Transportation, as well as to two subcommittees. He was also elected Democratic Caucus secretary and was chosen by his fellow members in the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators to serve as its sergeant at arms.
A small-business owner and father of four, Glynn served for over 23 years in the Army.
MORE: Ronnie Glynn sworn in as 67th District Tennessee State Representative
3. Andrew Kester
Retired 1st Sgt. Andrew Kester was selected in July 2023 to serve as Montgomery County’s first Director of Continuous Improvement. This position is new to the county and is responsible for developing the county’s performance management processes and providing guidance and assistance to county departments
Kester retired from the Army in 2010 and served as the Director of the Montgomery County Veterans Service Organization since 2019.
MORE: Andrew Kester named to new Montgomery County Director of Continuous Improvement position
4. Walt Lord
When Austin Peay State University created a new division to unify its military-affiliated student efforts in May, they turned to retired Maj. Gen. Walt Lord, who has served as the university’s military adviser in residence for the last two years. Lord was hired to directly oversee the Newton Military Family Resource Center and the APSU Center at Fort Campbell. He will also lead the university’s military-focused recruitment and marketing efforts.
Lord enlisted as a 17-year-old and entered active duty in 1990. He held a wide variety of Army leadership roles, including command of NATO Headquarters Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and allied coalition positions in the U.S., Germany, Belgium and Afghanistan. He previously led the Pentagon’s Reserve Forces Policy Board.
MORE: APSU forms new Military and Veterans Affairs division, appoints Walt Lord as VP
5. Beverly McLaughlin
Clarksville veteran Beverly McLaughlin and her service dog Lunkenhimer were honored this year by the Veterans of Foreign Wars #StillServing campaign for their dedication to country and community.
McLaughlin has worked to encourage women veterans to record their military stories so they are not forgotten. She serves with Pi Mu Phi military sorority at local food pantries, trash pickups and toy drives, and at Project Healing Waters’ fly-fishing program for wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. She credits Lunkenhimer with enabling her to volunteer by easing her panic attacks and assisting with mobility. She says she is #StillServing because service was instilled in her since childhood.
MORE: Clarksville veteran and service dog honored by Veterans of Foreign Wars for dedication to community
6. Josh Romaker
In 2017, Josh Romaker was an active-duty Green Beret with Fort Campbell’s 5th Special Forces Group. His retirement was coming up, and he was doing a lot of home brewing, so he decided to put his savings together, and Star Spangled Brewing was born. After about six months selling his brew out of the back of his truck, he saved up enough money to make a down payment on the site of Star Spangled Brewery on Progress Drive in Clarksville.
After a few years of success, he expanded to a new location downtown, and the taproom opened on Spring Street. In July 2023, he welcomed Three Rifles Distilling to join in the fun, sharing the back of the space.
MORE: Star Spangled Brewing: Veteran makes his brewery all about America
7. Hector Santos
The Montgomery County Commision welcomed retired Sgt. Maj. Hector Santos as the new director of the Montgomery County Veterans Service Organization in August. Santos began serving in his new role on Oct. 2, 2023.
Santos retired from the Army in February 2018 after serving 34 years, culminating with a four-year assignment as Army inspector general for the Military District of Washington, D.C. After retirement, Santos worked for the USO Pathfinder Program and the Department of Defense Transition Assistance Program helping fellow service members transitioning out of the military and into civilian life. He also served as the Military Affiliated Career Specialist, Military and Veterans Affairs Division at Austin Peay State University.
MORE: Hector Santos named director of Montgomery County Veterans Service Organization
8. Chris Self
Retired Army Sgt. Maj. Chris Self serves as the Industrial Development Board Workforce Development coordinator, responsible for connecting Clarksville-Montgomery County businesses with the resources to hire the work force needed to succeed. He regularly travels to regional job fairs to recruit employees on behalf of Clarksville businesses and industries.
He has worked with transitioning service members and wounded ill and injured service members in the Soldier Recovery Unit connecting with education and employment opportunities since 2013. Self promotes the hiring of veterans and works with Transition Assistance programs at Fort Campbell and bases throughout the Eastern United States. In 2023, Self was elected to the Board of Directors for Montgomery County Veterans Coalition.
MORE: Montgomery County Veterans Coalition welcomes new board members
9. Vince Surra
Vince Surra was a medic in the Air Force and, after retiring, he continued to work in the health care business for 20 years. He and his wife, Jenni, decided to change direction and opened Pizza Artista location in Clarksville.
“Basically, Pizza Artista is born out of Louisiana where they make great pizzas with Louisiana Cajun flair, so we have Cajun toppings. We have create your own pizzas, it’s a great concept, we have fresh toppings, and we make dough fresh every day,” Surra said. Pizza Artista is at 2139-A Lowe’s Drive.
MORE: Pizza Artista Named Clarksville Area Chamber of Commerce Veteran business of the Month
10. Yolonda Williams
Leadership Clarksville announced in April this year that Yolanda Williams will serve as their third executive director. Wiliams also serves as the president of the Clarksville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
Williams served 25 years with the Army, as a non-commissioned officer with both drill sergeant and first sergeant assignments. Additionally, she was an Army Intelligence Analyst, responsible for the collection, analysis, security and dispensing of critical and time sensitive intelligence information.
Williams says she is “inspired by the mission of Leadership Clarksville, which is building channels of communication between leaders, connecting those leaders to community issues, while equipping participants with insights.”
MORE: Montgomery County Veterans Coalition welcomes new board members
PREVIOUSLY: 10 veterans who made a difference this year in Clarksville, 2022