Jackson County Board of Commissioners: the Purple Heart County Proclamation and the Veterans Year
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners (Mark A. Letson chair, Todd Bryson vice chair, Jenny Lynn Hooper, Michael Jennings, John W. Smith; County Manager Kevin King; Clerk to the Board Angela M. Winchester) proclaimed Jackson County a Purple Heart County on June 2, 2026 with Veterans Service Officer Sheila Setzer accepting, and carried the November 18, 2025 veterans dinner and the April 2026 175th-anniversary flag folding; no benefit was adopted, narrowed or repealed.
Also called: Board of Commissioners, Mark Letson, Todd Bryson, Jenny Lynn Hooper, Michael Jennings, John W. Smith, Kevin King, Angela Winchester, Purple Heart, Military Order of the Purple Heart, proclamation, Veterans dinner, Sylva, Sylva, Cullowhee, Cashiers, Dillsboro, Webster, Forest Hills, Tuckasegee, Glenville, Sapphire.
The record. The Board's minutes are born-digital PDFs in the county's DocumentCenter; the 2025 and 2026 regular-meeting minutes of the window (October 2025 through October 2026) were downloaded and read whole. The Board meets the first and third Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. (work session the first Tuesday at 7 p.m.) in Room A201 of the Justice and Administration Building, 401 Grindstaff Cove Road, Sylva; the roster: Mark A. Letson, Chairman; Todd Bryson, Vice Chair (District 1); John W. Smith (District 2); Jenny Lynn Hooper (District 3); Michael Jennings (District 4); County Manager Kevin King; Clerk to the Board Angela M. Winchester.
The veteran items, in order:
- November 18, 2025: "Commissioner Smith stated that he attended the Veterans dinner and it was a great event. Sheila Setzer, Veterans Service Officer and all the volunteers did a great job."
- April 21, 2026 (work session): the county's 175th-anniversary planning - "4th of July parade down Front Street in Dillsboro at 10:00 a.m. ... family members who had lost a veteran would be able to walk as well as veterans," with the Boy Scouts and JROTC folding flags.
- June 2, 2026: "(1) PROCLAMATION FOR PURPLE HEART COUNTY: Chairman Letson read a Proclamation to proclaim Jackson County as a Purple Heart County. Commissioner Hooper moved to approve the Proclamation. Commissioner Smith seconded the Motion. Motion carried. Sheila Setzer, Veterans Service Officer, was present to accept the proclamation." The proclamation (DocumentCenter 1944): "WHEREAS, the Purple Heart is the oldest decoration in present use and was initially created as the Badge of Military merit by General George Washington in 1782 ... WHEREAS, Jackson County has numerous residents who have been awarded the Purple Heart Medal for wounds received in combat ... NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED that the Jackson County Board of Commissioners hereby declares Jackson County as a Purple Heart County." Signed Mark A. Letson, Chairman; attested Angela M. Winchester, Clerk to the Board, June 2, 2026.
No veteran benefit was adopted, narrowed or repealed; the proclamation is recognition and the rest is community ceremony. No veterans treatment court serves the county (the Judicial Branch's list names no District 30 court).
Thresholds
Thresholds for Jackson County Board of Commissioners: the Purple Heart County Proclamation and the Veterans Year
Gate
Rule
No eligibility - a board record
The record documents the county’s veterans recognition; it grants no individual entitlement.
Out of date, a broken link, or something else wrong? Say what you found, and an editor checks it against the official source.
Disclaimer
VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.