Mar 6, 2020 1 min read

William O’Bryan, an eighth-grader at Canonsburg Middle School, sponsored by VFW Post 191 in Canonsburg, won the local Patriot’s Pen Essay Competition. Representing Post 191, he went on to win the Southwestern Pennsylvania District 24 and VFW state competitions, where there were more than 8,700 entries. Advancing to the national competition with one entry from each state, William came in sixth place. Receiving awards at each level of competition, he won prizes totaling $3,650. The annual VFW-sponsored youth essay competition gives students an opportunity to write essays expressing their views on an annual patriotic theme chosen by the national VFW. This year’s theme was “What Makes America Great.”