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<p>Ray Welch|Daily News</p> <p>Lt. Cl. Barry Tanner spoke to the students of Bell County Schools Monday at the Celebrate America Ceremony Monday. </p>

Veterans are always the center of attention for Bell County High School’s Celebrate America ceremony. That was no different on Monday when the school hosted the annual event.

The keynote speaker for the celebration was Lt. Colonel Barry Tanner. He was born and raised in Kentucky and graduated from UK in 1977. Tanner participated in the Air Force ROTC and was commissioned to the United States Air Force, where he served for 24 years and served until September 2001.

He also served as a program manager, flight commander and operations officer, aircraft maintenance officer, among many other titles. Tanner taught Air Force ROTC at Bell High for 17 years and retired in 2018. He and his wife have been married for 41 years and have five grandchildren and six grandchildren. They are both active members of St. Julian’s Catholic Church in Middlesboro and both volunteer with the Christian Cooperative Ministries in Middlesboro.

Tanner spoke to the students about their service to others and how that is of the most important to their community and their country.

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