When it comes to putting action behind words, no one does it any better than Sampson County’s Ann Knowles.

And that was true long before Knowles put her own money into action recently to keep a wheelchair-bound veteran from losing his home.

But that act, put into action recently when a finance company issued a repossess order, added the exclamation point to a life which has been dedicated to serving veterans.

That Sampson County commissioners took time to recognize Knowles’ dedication and support of veterans at a meeting last Monday is commendable and completely deserved.

“All of us like to put all we can into the service we do for the county, but Ann Knowles is the person that I’d like to have on my side any time I have any trouble at all,” Commissioners Chairman Billy Lockamy said earlier this week. “Buddy, she can get the job done.”

He’s right. And most every veteran who’s ever walked into Sampson County’s Veterans Service Office can attest to the same fact.

Knowles has been a staunch defender of veterans for decades, rolling up her shirtsleeves to help them resolve whatever problem might be causing them undue concern.

What’s more, the fact that Knowles pulled money from her own pocket to help a veteran save his home was not a first by any means. She’s always there, doing whatever is needed to make “her” veterans feel appreciated, and to help them have the very best life they can. For her, those men and women are extended family, the reason she, and all of us, have the freedoms we enjoy so much.

Her door is always open to them; her ear at the ready and her shoulders broad enough for all of them to lean upon should they ever need too.

And she does it without looking for anything in return.

Anytime she’s been praised for her service to veterans, Knowles humbly returns the attention to tje men and women she always sayshave sacrificed so much for us all.

“The veterans are what is important here. There are hard times. They don’t always get the things they’re entitled to,” Knowles said when she was recognized “Our office is committed to helping them, and we’re very fortunate that Sampson County backs us up. They give us what we need to have a good office.”

While it’s true that Sampson County does a great deal to support its veterans, that support starts with the woman leading the charge. And that is Ann Knowles, always at the ready to answer a veteran’s call, always geared up to defend their rights and ensure that they receive the fairest treatment possible.

Veterans are fortunate to have someone like Knowles on their side; so, too, is Sampson County, because she makes us all shine a little brighter.