Freddie J. Owens Memorial Award | Vet to Vet Tennessee

This award was created in honor of Vet to Vet Tennessee and the Knoxville Regional Veterans Mental Health Council’s co-founder, Freddie J. Owens, on October 4, 2018, during the inaugural 2018 Freddie J. Owens Women Veterans Summit.

Two (2) awards will be presented annually to veteran advocates who demonstrate the same ethos as Freddie: one to a veteran or military individual and one to a civilian.

The first recipients of the Freddie J. Owens Memorial Award are Vietnam veteran Pastor Dr. Ed King of Redemption Church and Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, a civilian advocate.

The 2025 Freddie J. Owens Memorial Award recipients are:

Dr. Richard J. Junod – USMC, Vet to Vet Tennessee strategic partner since VTVT’s inception and co-writer of the Freddie J. Owens Memorial Award.

Presented to Richard’s family at the Washington Crossing National Cemetery on

April 24, 2025

Roxe M. Hurley – Vet to Vet Tennessee Secretary, Veterans Court Mentor, and family member of military service veterans will receive her award at the Robert “Bob” Hatley Monroe County Veterans Service Center on July 9, 2025.

Click here to view a copy of the award. Click here to download the list of previous recipients.

We are always searching for the next Freddie J. Owens Memorial Award recipient. If you know someone who has the same heart, faith, and dedication to men and women of the United States military services, please complete the form below.

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett (now Congressman)and Redemption Church Pastor and Vietnam Army Veteran Dr. Ed King were the first two recipient in 2018.

Veterans are 10 times more likely to speak with a person of faith than they are with any other person. Click to see why!

Many are aware that many Veterans seek healing through faith, and we are seeking to utilize a network of VMFCs to reach those wounded Veterans. We ask you to develop a Veteran ministry within your congregation. We are currently operating in 26 states and expanding daily. To learn more about the Military Chaplains Association’s VMFC program, click here.

VMFC bootcamps are held on the 3rd Thursday of every three months. Register here.

As a result of the outstanding success of our “Operation Military Masterpiece” initiative at Brown Middle School in Sweetwater, TN, we have developed a new program, “Ethos Student Art (ESA).” The program is available to middle and high schools in Monroe County and the surrounding Counties. Dr. Amber Patty co-developed the ESA program with Vet to Vet TN. It is preferred to have an art teacher teach the class. Click here to view the lesson plan. VTVT will sponsor the class.