World War II veteran Walter Stone honored at UT game

Walter Stone, of Sparta, was honored at the University of Tennessee football game, in Knoxville, on Sept. 9, 2023, for his service in World War II.

According to Kerry Stone, Walter’s son, the veteran’s military photo was shown on the jumbotron and then cut to a live shot of Walter and his wife, Mildred, as they stood by their special honorary sets.

The ceremony took place during a time-out in the second quarter.

As the announcer shared that Pvt. First Class Stone was a World War II veteran and had entered the war in Germany, in December 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, the crowd of over 100,000 people rose to their feet and began giving Walter a standing ovation, which continued throughout the announcement.  The volume and applause rose when it was announced he would be 98 years old, in March.

Attending the ceremony along with Walter and Mildred were their son, Kerry Stone; granddaughters Karson and Skyler Stone; and friends Jordan Shirley and Andrew Daugherty.