Deighton Zerby has never worn a military uniform and never plans to, but the Cathedral High senior from Vidalia doesn’t need to fight on foreign shores to be patriotic.

Zerby, 18, recently took first place in the local Veterans of Foreign Wars &uot;Voice of Democracy&uot; essay contest. He went on to win the district competition and is now one of three state finalists. The state winner, to be announced Jan. 20 at the VFW state conference, will travel to Washington, D.C., for the national competition.

For Zerby, the contest theme – the price of freedom – means more than what is often associated with those lives sacrificed to safeguard democracy. &uot;It’s not as much the price of freedom, but the duty of being free,&uot; he said.

As the most powerful country in the world, the United States is often expected to take up issues that other countries are not faced with, he said.

Zerby said he also tried to integrate social issues with political implications into his essay, such as the need to revise the voting system made apparent in the recent presidential election.

A first-time voter, Zerby compared the effects of the 2000 presidential election to a double-edged sword.

While voter participation will surely be increased for the next election, &uot;the ill effect is it showed the system has flaws that need to be corrected,&uot; he said.

Zerby recognizes the lack of patriotism in Americans today, especially younger generations and believes the VFW contest is a step in the right direction.

&uot;I think that’s the basic intent of the VFW, to show people that veteran’s affairs are everyone’s affairs, not just those who wear the uniform,&uot; he said.

Zerby is the son of Brett and Becky Zerby of Vidalia.