A conversation with Loudon County Farm Bureau President Joe Alexander as he opens up about his memories as a platoon leader during the Viet Nam War, the ultimate sacrifices of his fallen brothers and his hope to preserve our freedoms and encourage others to share their stories.

Lee Maddox: So joining me now on Root of the Matter is Mr. Joe Alexander from Loudon County. Mr. Joe, how you doing today? Thanks for being with us.

Joe Alexander: I'm doing really well today and thank you for, for asking.

Lee Maddox: Yes, sir. We're getting ready to celebrate kind of a holiday that has been around our country for for many years, and rightfully so Memorial Day. And I know it's a it's a special day and a special special tribute for you, as a former service man. And even more so than that. Before you were in the military, you were a farmer growing up, and I think that had a lot to do with the man you are today. But I would say your military experience as well has, has kind of molded you into who you are today. Right?

Joe Alexander: Yes, Lee it has. And I did grow up in the farming world and, and I found later in my life, how important my youth in farming, how well it served me as a soldier and in life in general. The I was had the good fortune of being involved in farming and agriculture as a youth and it had such a tremendous impact on me, and especially my military career.

Lee Maddox: Take us back to where you were raised. And about that farm you're referring to tell me about growing up where it was that and what kind of farming was it?

Joe Alexander: Yes, I worked on my grandfather's farm. We've been in the family since around 1810 here in the Lenoir City or near Lenoir City in Loudon County. And my family historically had been farmers and my father was fortunate enough to get a college degree became a teacher of vocational agriculture. And he continued to farm as well as been a teacher and every day of my life after school on weekends on holidays, it every possible time my father took me to the farm, and we work on that farm in the summer months we work and I did have my grandfather and finally, just my father. And it it gave me so much, I guess traits and qualities that we've been doing me the rest of my life

Lee Maddox: That's not an unlike us story we hear today you have an ag teacher and their kids growing up on a farm. Unfortunately, there's just not as many kids growing up on farms today. But the ones that do are in that same similar situation as you were as as a youth you you learned the values of hard work and responsibility and and and then eventually you know that kind of led towards patriotism right?

Joe Alexander: It certainly did and and so many things as a farmer you learn you know, one is that if you you do everything you can you do everything right in farming, you plant the seed, if the rain doesn't come then you don't have a crop and you have to you'd have to endure that and have to come at a continue again the next year and keep doing it not to give up and those kinds of things were so critical in not most my life but particularly in my military service as a as a patriot in our country.

Lee Maddox: And you talked about it not raining there's there's also those times when you when you get too much rain, right so you never know the weather is always going to play a factor on on how successful or unsuccessful a farm maybe

Joe Alexander: You're exactly right. And you just don't give up. You just keep plowing you keep holding or you, you keep replanting and and if there's too much rain or not enough rain or whatever the case may be, you just don't give up and you you just you just didn't do the hardships and you plan you find ways to survive you do

Lee Maddox: So obviously Mr. Joe, you are your father was a was a ag teacher and you went so high school and and you knew that he had gotten his college degree and and that's something that you wanted to pursue as well.