The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Century Post 503 selected an essay written by Ryan Lynde, an O’Neill Middle School eighth grader, as the winner of its 2019 Patriot’s Pen Essay Contest. Ryan’s essay also competed at the contest’s district regional level, where it came in second place out of 2,220 essay submissions.
Patriot’s Pen is the VFW’s nationwide youth essay competition and encourages children to express their views on democracy. This year’s theme was “Why I Honor the American Flag.”
"Downers Grove Century Post 503 Veterans of Foreign Wars is honored to congratulate Ryan for his excellent written essay again this year, as he has won our Post competition for two consecutive years,” said Bob Nimz, the Patriot’s Pen chairman for the VFW Century Post 503. “We believe his writings demonstrate that he will be a valuable patriotic citizen of our nation."
Ryan's essay was a tribute to the U.S. veterans who fought for the right to honor the American Flag in times of national emergencies along with times of celebration. It also focused on how important the flag is to his daily life.
The VFW honored Ryan during local and regional banquets this year.