By MELANIE POOLE / Special to the Reporter

The Veteran of the Week is sponsored by the National Veterans Shrine and Register of Honor at the American Village — honoring America’s veterans and telling the stories of their service and sacrifice for the cause of liberty.

“The American Village is pleased to join the Shelby County Reporter in recognizing Sergeant Samuel Culpepper as Veteran of the Week,” American Village founder and CEO Tom Walker said. “He is representative of the hundreds of thousands of Alabamians who have risked it all for the sake of our country and its freedom. To all veterans we owe a debt we can never fully repay.”

Visit the website, Veteransregisterofhonor.com, today and add your loved ones to the Register of Honor. Help us honor, recognize, respect and remember our country’s veterans.

Here are highlights about this week’s Veteran of the Week: Samuel MacDonald Culpepper born in Fort Payne, Alabama, on Dec. 23, 1928 to Joseph and Margie Culpepper. After graduating high school, he served in the Korean War with the Army’s Co C 151st ENG BN. He achieved the rank of Sergeant and earned a Korean Service Medal with two Bronze Stars. Samuel M. Culpepper married Mary V. Hughes of Fyffe, Alabama, on Jan. 12, 1953. Sam to his co-workers, and Mack to his family, is the father of S. Bruce Culpepper born Dec. 17, 1958. Mack worked at Sand Mountain Electric Co-Op in Rainsville, Alabama, for 38 years. Mack is a member of the Fyffe United Methodist Church and led the church singing until 2005. Mack was also an assistant Boy Scout Troop Leader for Troop 77. He is Paw-Paw to his granddaughter Ashley and grandson Addison Culpepper. He raised cattle and gardened as hobbies while working at the Sand Mountain Electric Co-Op. He died on Dec. 29, 2017. He is survived by his wife Mary.

Melanie Poole is Communications Officer for the American Village and can be reached at MPoole@americanvillage.org.