Author

Phil Newman 29 posts 0 comments

Phil Newman is a Farragut High alum and UT-Knoxville journalism graduate. A lifelong lover of the written word and storytelling, he makes his home in Franklin, Tennessee. He enjoys hiking, editing books, playing disc golf, and spending time with his wife, Robin, and their shih-tzu, General Bear.

Features

We Knew We Were First

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Knoxville’s Gail Wallace Davenport helped pioneer women’s Navy service on the high seas As Gail Wallace looked out over the Panama Canal in late 1973, she was reflecting on more than just the engineering marvel of locks and canals that…
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Features

Farewell to a Friend

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Vietnam veteran Randall Leyshon found healing after a half-century of mournful memories "Did you hear about John?” the young man asked warily, as he and several other 9th Infantry Division Army soldiers chatted with then-1st Lt. Randall…
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Features

Finally Home

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Veterans experience a day like no other on an HonorAir Knoxville flight Standing near the intersection of the two sloping, black-granite walls that form the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, on a sunny April afternoon, Eddie…
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Features

Soaring to New Heights

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World-class disc golfer Chris Dickerson sets the pace as the sport skyrockets in East Tennessee On the afternoon of October 15, 2022, as a throng of football fans descended upon Neyland Stadium for that night’s Tennessee vs.…
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Features

Coming in Loud & Clear

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Centenarian WWII veteran Milton Jones energized Oak Ridge and Knoxville's radio waves When Milton Jones was a teen in the 1930s—no, that’s not a typo—he would catch a bus for the 12-mile daily ride from Bluegrass to Farragut High…
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Features

Hope for the Heroes

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Matt Gordon served his nation and now serves up healing for fellow veterans A raging storm brought Matt Gordon to East Tennessee. In September 2017, Hurricane Irma unleashed her fury on the Gulf Coast of Florida near Matt’s home in…
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Features

The Mission Goes On

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Bryan Gansner, who barely survived war, helps other vets survive its aftermath Only days after September 11, 2001, country star Alan Jackson wrote “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?” He would perform the song live to a…
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Features

A Mission of Service

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Former Air Force leader and Vietnam veteran Jim O'Brien gives back to his adopted Knoxville community When 591 American prisoners of war arrived back on U.S. soil from Vietnam in early 1973, Jim O’Brien was midway through his studies at…
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Features

Moving Heaven and Earth

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Charlie Orr built roads and survived harrowing moments in Vietnam Of all the vivid memories Charlie Orr holds from his tour of duty in Vietnam from late 1966 to early 1968—and there are many; a few will be told here, others are too…
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