NINE WORLD WAR TWO VETERANS AND A TENNESSEE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIER WHO DIED WITH HIS ERWIN UNIT WILL BE HONORED THIS WEEKEND. IN FACT, THE ARMORY IN ERWIN WILL BE DEDICATED IN THEIR NAMES ON SATURDAY IN A CEREMONY. THE ERWIN NINE AS THEY CAME TO KNOWN WERE ALL LOCAL RESIDENTS WHO VOLUNTEERED FOR THE AIR FORCE DURING WORLD WAR TWO. THE GROUP OF SOLDIERS WERE ALL SHOT DOWN OVER ENEMY TERRITORY. NONE ACTUALLY SERVED TOGETHER, BUT ALL WERE SHOT DOWN AT DIFFERENT TIMES IN DIFFERENT PLACES. REMARKABLY, WITH MORE THAN 50 PRISON CAMPS SCATTERED ACROSS NAZI GERMANY, THE UNICOI COUNTY RESIDENTS WOUND UP IN THE SAME PRISONER OF WAR CAMP. NATONAL GUARDSMAN SGT. FIRST CLASS MARK EDWARDS FROM ERWIN DIED ON JUNE 9TH, 2005 IN IRAQ. IN 2006, THEIR STORY WAS RECOUNTED IN A BOOK “THE ERWIN NINE.” DEDICATION CEREMONIES WILL BEGIN SATURDAY AT 9 A.M. AT THE ARMORY ON SOUTH MAIN AVENUE IN ERWIN. THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO ATTEND THE CEREMONY THIS WEEKEND.