We are proud to recognize Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran and Pontotoc County Veterans Service Officer Colonel Mack Huey. A longtime resident of Pontotoc, Mack has dedicated his life to serving both his country and the veterans of his community. He moved to Pontotoc during the sixth grade and has spent decades building a legacy of leadership, service, and advocacy.

In 1983, Mack joined the United States Army and, after earning a degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Mississippi, received his commission as a lieutenant. He attended Military Police School at the former Fort McClellan in Alabama. On his second tour to Fort McClellan, he met his wife, Anita, in Sunday School class. The two married in 1987 and will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary next year.

During his 30-year military career, Mack served as a military police officer and completed two deployments to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 and again in 2009. He served as Battalion Commander and Brigade Commander working in detainee operations during both tours. Military service took the Huey family around the world, with assignments in Panama, Puerto Rico, England, and numerous across the United States. Over the course of 19 moves and three decades of service, Mack rose to the rank of colonel before retiring in 2012.

After returning to Pontotoc in 2013, Mack began volunteering at the Pontotoc Veterans Service Office to learn more about the Department of Veterans Affairs and the benefits available to veterans. What started as volunteer work quickly became a calling. "As a military person, that's all I've known for my whole adult life," Mack said. "I can understand what they are going through and thought it would be a good way to continue to serve and help veterans and their families."

Recognizing how complex and overwhelming the VA system can be, Mack was driven to help veterans navigate the process and secure the benefits they earned through their service. In 2017, he became the Pontotoc Veterans Service Officer, serving the 1,500 veterans in Pontotoc County as well as assisting any veteran who walks into his office. His work includes helping veterans and their families with health care benefits, disability compensation, veteran pension, surviving spouse pension, memorial and burial assistance. "I take a lot of pride in doing it the right way and seeing them get the benefits they deserve," he said.

When Mack first started in this role, he saw an opportunity to better connect local veterans with the information and resources available to them. To bridge that gap, he launched a monthly column in the Pontotoc Progress called The Veterans Corner. Each month, he shares updates on benefits, programs, new legislation, and other topics important to veterans and their families. "It's been great," Mack said. "I've had a lot of people come in saying, 'I read your article and need help with this.'"

In 2023, with support from local officials and a former state representative, the Pontotoc County Veterans Service Office relocated from the Pontotoc Courthouse to its own standalone facility. "Pontotoc is very committed to helping our veterans," Mack said. The new facility is designed to better serve local veterans, providing improved accessibility and privacy.

We are grateful for Colonel Mack Huey's service to our nation and his unwavering dedication to the veterans of Pontotoc County. If you are a veteran or know a veteran in Pontotoc County who needs assistance, contact the Pontotoc County Veterans Service Office for help.

We are proud to recognize and honor Vietnam Veteran Lieutenant Colonel John Tardy. John was born in Helena, Arkansas, and now resides in Walnut with his wife, Carolyn. Service to country is a proud tradition in the Tardy family. After his father served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, John carried that legacy by joining the United States Navy Reserve in 1959. After graduating from the University of Mississippi, he accepted a commission for the United States Air Force, serving as Security Police Officer at Little Rock Air Force Base. He later transferred to the U.S. Army, where he continued a distinguished career spanning more than two decades.

During his Army service, John served a one-year tour in Vietnam as a Security Operations Officer in Saigon, overseeing installation security and military police operations. He also served in South Korea as Provost Marshal and held numerous leadership positions throughout his career. Among his many assignments, he served as an instructor at the Army Military Police School, where he received the Distinguished Instructor Award.

John's service took him around the world, including assignments at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium, Headquarters, U.S. Special Operations Command, and the office of the Inspector General of the Army, where he participated in a Special Inspection of the Army nuclear matters. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and attended the US Army War College. He retired from the U.S. Army in 1988 after 25 years of active-duty service.

After retiring from the Army on a Friday, John began a new chapter of service the very next Monday as IT Department Manager for the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The leadership and technical expertise he developed during his military career contributed greatly to his success in overseeing the organization's information technology operations. He retired from the State of Florida in 2000.

His dedication to service continued after retirement through his involvement with veterans' organizations. He remains active in the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars and previously served as Department Commander of the Mississippi American Legion.

John earned numerous awards and decorations throughout his military career, including the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star. Reflecting on his service, John said, "I've served in three branches of the military—the Army, Air Force, and Navy—and completed assignments all over the world. I'm very proud because I stuck with it."

We are grateful for Lieutenant Colonel John Tardy's extraordinary service and steadfast commitment to our nation.

Mississippi's workforce is the best there is for a reason. Workforce training programs from high school to college prepare young people and those seeking a new career path right in our own backyard. We are proud of all our institutions of higher learning and the important role they play in workforce development, including Northeast Mississippi Community College.

One of the most important goals for a community college is to provide the training area industries require to build and maintain their workforce. Specific needs are addressed through a wide variety of programs including industrial maintenance, electronics, welding, nursing, and the aerospace industry. 

One of the most exciting projects being pursued by NEMCC is the Technical Training Center called the "Workforce Hub." The 350,000-square-foot facility, formerly a furniture manufacturing building, is located on 43 acres in Booneville. Once complete, The Career and Technical Education (CTE), Workforce Training, Adult Education, and Continuing Education divisions will all be in the building.

We are proud of NEMCC's leadership for their hard work and dedication to the people of Mississippi. Through their efforts, and those of their peers, our excellent workforce will continue to attract business and industry to the First District and well beyond.

Great news for Alcorn County and Northeast Mississippi. Global electronics manufacturing services provider Keytronic is expanding its operations in Corinth, bringing 376 new jobs and continued investment to the region.

Keytronic designs and manufactures complex electronic and electromechanical products for customers around the world. Its Corinth facility is a full-service manufacturing operation with extensive production capabilities, making it an important part of the company's nationwide network.

Keytronic has provided quality jobs and economic opportunities for families in Alcorn County for more than a decade. This expansion builds on that commitment, strengthening the local economy, supporting Mississippi's skilled workforce, and creating new opportunities for growth in the future. 

I am proud to see companies like Keytronic continue to invest in our state and create new opportunities for hardworking Mississippians.

Team Kelly was honored to visit the Traveling Vietnam Wall and the Cost of Freedom Tribute Wall during their recent stop in Tishomingo County. The memorials were displayed at the Tishomingo High School football field June 26-28, giving visitors an opportunity to reflect on the service and sacrifice of America's veterans.

The Cost of Freedom Tribute honors those who served in major conflicts throughout our nation's history, including World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, Somalia, and the Global War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. The memorials are presented by the American Veterans Traveling Tribute, a veteran-owned and operated organization dedicated to preserving the stories and sacrifices of those who have served.

We are grateful to everyone who helped bring these memorials to North Mississippi and to all who attended to pay their respects. It was a privilege to experience this tribute and to honor the brave men and women whose sacrifice has protected the freedoms we enjoy every day. We will never forget their service to our nation.

Over the past 29 years, Captain Schelika Chisolm and her husband Captain Michael Chisolm have been serving together with the Salvation Army as Corps Officers. From serving on the east coast in Baltimore, Maryland, to serving here locally in Tupelo, this couple has served a variety of cities and populations ranging from children in Baltimore, Maryland, to the citizens and Veterans in Lee County and surrounding areas.

The Salvation Army is an organization that was founded in July of 1865 and has the mission of preaching the word of Jesus and to meet the needs of the people without discrimination. Over time the Salvation Army has become a vital part of the community and has been serving the city of Tupelo since 1985.

Captain Schelika Chisolm began her journey with The Salvation Army in 1997 in Jackson, Mississippi. as a statistician after graduating from Jackson State University; after a few years she was transferred to Atlanta Georgia, as a territorial statistician where she met her now husband, Captain Michael Chisolm. Together, they currently run the Tupelo Corps and have found another community that they love to serve in. One aspect of her job that Captain Schelika Chisolm notes was, "I enjoy being able to minister to a community in a variety of ways." Both captains also enjoy the different perspectives, methods of ministry and the different activities done daily. 

When it comes to housing, families and individuals are allowed to stay up to 120 days through their transitional housing program, and Veterans are allowed to stay up to 15 months for them to search for jobs and apartments or more permanent housing. This kind of housing allows patrons staying to have somewhere warm and safe to stay, while also allowing them to build a community around them. 

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