I read with interest in The Star that Ken Rollins was the recipient of the Alabama Legislature Medal of Honor. I thought it was interesting that the reporter did no research or verification of the story Rollins told him.
Learning of the receipt of the medal from the Department of Veterans Affairs does not sound plausible as one merely has to submit it for themselves. (Being a member of the Alabama State Board of Veterans Affairs, Rollins should have been aware of the medal before the Legislature approved the resolution.)
Anyone who desires one has to submit their registration to the Alabama Sports Festival Foundation. Upon receipt of the registration, the individual is notified that the registration has been received.
There was no mention of the five other wounded warriors/disabled veterans, nor the two fallen heroes from Calhoun County who were also recipients. Do they not deserve recognition as well?
Was this because none of them called The Star to get their names in the paper? How did the reporter learn of Rollins’ receipt of the medal? One can only presume from previous coverage of him that he called The Star and it excitedly ran to his feet for him to praise himself.
Any amount of research beyond that of an interview with one individual would have disclosed that this was not a big news event in the first place, but an opportunity for Rollins to once again praise himself and get media coverage for doing so.
David Nichols
(disabled veteran recipient)
Anniston
