POCAHONTAS, VA (LOOTPRESS)– A bridge on Old River Road in Pocahontas was recently renamed at a ceremony earlier Monday afternoon.
The ceremony was at Pocahontas High School, located in Tazewell County. It is being renamed after Sergeant Major Walter L. Shumate.
SGM Shumate was born in 1934 and graduated from Pocahontas High School. After graduating at 17, he joined the service as an Airborne Infantryman. SGM Shumate served in the Korean and Vietnam War. He was also the founder of the Special Forces Underwater Operations School in Key West, Florida. Students train in the Combat Dive Qualifications Course, where they learn about surface and subsurface waterborne infiltration.
The 50-foot-deep dive tower in Key West was renamed the Walter L. Shumate tower when it was first built in 1994.
SGM Shumate’s son, Colonel Alan Shumate, gave attendees a brief background on who his father was and what he accomplished.
“We wanted to do something for my dad’s memory, and that means a lot,” said Col. Shumate.
Col. Shumate’s uncle, Vincent Shumate, came up with the idea to memorialize his brother. With the help of the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors and the Mayor of Pocahontas, the idea came to fruition.
Officials in attendance were the Mayor of Pocahontas, Benjamin Gibson, Tazewell Chamber of Commerce, Lori Stacy, and Tazewell County Administrator Eric Young. They thanked the family for Shumate’s service to his county and his country.
The memorial sign is located across Pocahontas High School at 3044 Boissevian Road, Pocahontas, VA 24635.