Veterans Honored with Amazing Tribute by Collinwood Family

It all began last year with a dream.

“People always ask me why I wanted to do this, especially since I’m not a veteran myself,” said Stan Hanback. “All my life, I have felt a lot of gratitude for veterans. This project began as an idea many years ago, and I finally took the plans I had in my head and started to work. This tribute is what my ideas have grown into.”

Stan and his wife Darlene live in a beautiful little home in the heart of Collinwood, Tennessee that Stan himself has added onto, renovated, and tweaked in many ways. But that’s a story for another day.

Last year, Stan turned the “idea” he’d been pondering for many years into a reality. He created a Veterans Wall around his and Darlene’s home and inscribed the names of over 500 veterans on it. Anyone who wanted to submit a veteran’s name to be placed on the wall was able to do that, and Stan was still adding names on Veterans Day 2024. Names of veterans from all around the country were submitted, and Stan made sure they all got on the wall.

Well, it seems that last year, Stan was just getting started on the veterans’ tribute project. This year, in addition to adding around one thousand more names to the tribute wall, Stan handmade a replica of a fighter jet, created a POW/MIA monument, and turned his and Darlene’s entire property into a veterans’ tribute.

When people began to hear that Stan was making the veterans’ project even bigger and better this year, they began loaning him items to be used in the display. Military uniforms from the 1940s came from Cindy Risner and her family. More uniforms, along with boots and other military items, were loaned by Vern Humphrey. Military helmets came from Stan Lee and Justin Barnett, and Larry Miller even loaned Stan an Army Jeep to put on display. Some of the most intimate and personal items came from the late Bobby “Pop” Burns: a document holder, ammunition box, bullets, a cot, backpacks, and a first aid kit.

“I have always thought about what veterans sacrifice for us to live in such a wonderful land,” said Darlene. “I think we take for granted all they give up. It takes someone special to give up birthdays, holidays and other times when they need to be home. We should all salute them give thank them for their service to us.”

Stan has an amazing life story himself. After experiencing heart failure at a relatively young age, and after two years of relying on an artificial heart to live, Stan received a heart transplant five years ago. “The transplant truly gave Stan a new lease on life,” said Darlene. “He went from barely being able to breathe to having more energy than any of us!” Stan’s own story no doubt inspired him to use his “new lease on life” in ways to honor others, especially veterans. We can’t wait to see what all Stan has in store for next year’s Veterans Day display.