NEWPORT-Brenda and James Messer said they tried for about nine years, since they moved to Newport, to find some government official who would fix the misspelling of one word on a memorial to veterans that sits prominently on the front lawn of the Cocke County Courthouse.

Until last week, the memorial had inscribed on it: "This monument is dedicated to those from Cocke County, Tennessee, who made the supreme sacrafice in service of their country." It honors veterans of World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. It also has two scriptures on it: John 15:13, and Psalm 33:12.

Earlier this month, the retired couple decided to take the matter into their own hands.

James Messer contacted Cocke County Monument Company, and paid for a sandblaster to change the second "a" in "sacrafice" to the correct letter "i", so it reads, "sacrifice."

James Messer, who is retired from the U.S. Army, got the okay from the sheriff's office, and paid $180 out of his own funds to have a sandblaster at the Monument Company fix the word, which Keith Bailey did on Monday, Sept. 24. It took Bailey about 45 minutes to painstakingly correct the letter.

For more details, please see the latest edition of the Newport Plain Talk.