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Vietnam War

Medal of Honor recipient inspires local students

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It was May 8, 1968, in La Chu, when then 19-year-old U.S. Army Specialist 4 Robert Martin Patterson singlehandedly bum-rushed five machine gun bunkers, killed eight enemy soldiers and captured a weapons cache, all in the midst of a firefight in the Vietnam War.

The actions that day earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor, the United States military’s highest and most prestigious designation for acts of valor.

Patterson would go on to serve 26 years in the Army and reach the highest enlisted rank, Command Sergeant Major, before retiring in 1991. Post-military, he worked as a representative for the Department of Veterans Affairs for 12 years.

He is one of just 70 living Medal of Honor recipients, out of total of 3,507.

Patterson’s heroism and military career were highlighted during a recent speaking engagement at Land O’ Lakes High School.

The visit was part the school’s yearlong collaboration with the Medal of Honor Character educational program, where teachers use stories of Medal of Honor recipients to help students explore the values of courage, integrity, sacrifice, commitment, citizenship and patriotism.

Patterson’s appearance at the school coincided with this year’s annual Medal of Honor Convention in Tampa, which hosted 46 Medal of Honor recipients from Oct. 22 to Oct. 26.

Seven other Pasco County schools also were visited by Medal of Honor recipients through the program. They were Deer Park Elementary; Centennial, Pine View, Charles S. Rushe, and Paul R. Smith middle schools; and Hudson and Wesley Chapel high schools.

Addressing a lecture hall full of students, the 71-year-old Pensacola resident inspired high schoolers to follow their dreams and strive to do their best.

On May 8, 1968, 19-year-old U.S. Army Specialist 4 Robert Martin Patterson singlehandedly bum-rushed five machine gun bunkers, killed eight enemy soldiers and captured a weapons cache, all in the midst of a firefight in the Vietnam War. The actions earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor a year later. (Courtesy of Congressional Medal of Honor Society)

“The most important part of your life is your education,” Patterson said. “You can be anything that you put your mind to. You want to be a doctor? You can be a doctor. You want to be a lawyer? You can be a lawyer.”

Patterson emphasized the importance of personal integrity and good decision-making, as a means to set up for future success and happiness in adulthood.

“The most valuable asset is your integrity,” he said. “You are the only person that can affect your integrity. Nobody else can. Only you. Don’t ever jeopardize your integrity. Once your lose that integrity, you’ll play hell ever getting it back.”

The overall theme was something he himself battled growing up in a poor family of tobacco farmers in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Patterson was known around his hometown as a troublemaker, dropping out of high school in 12th grade.

“I wasn’t going to be anything in my life, according to all my teachers and everything. (They said) the only thing I’d ever be in my life was nothing but a dirt farmer,” Patterson recalled.

Patterson, of course, would later prove any doubters wrong with his decorated military service, where he also obtained a college degree.

“The only thing blocking you from doing anything in your life, is your own mind,” Patterson said, adding, “I really do regret dropping out of high school because education is really important in your life, and I didn’t realize it until years later.”

For students facing similar challenging life circumstances, Patterson recommended the military as a positive route getting on the right track. He pointed out the service instills punctuality, work ethic and personal responsibility. “Military is not a bad way to get a start in the job market,” he said.

As for his distinguished act of bravery over 50 years ago, it was all a blur.

“I don’t remember my actions at all,” he said. “I was young, dumb and invincible.”

And, he doesn’t consider himself to be a hero, either.

“I just did my job,” he said. “Somebody was going to do it, I just happened to be the one that did it.”

Asked about what it means to don the Medal of Honor, a humbled Patterson said, “It’s not mine. I just keep in sacred trust. It belongs to the (soldiers) that didn’t come back.”

Published November 06, 2019

PHSC lecture analyzes Dr. King’s national acclaim

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Dr. Derrick White analyzed the evolution of Dr. Martin King Jr.’s rising popularity during a lecture series at Pasco-Hernando State College, to honor the contributions made by the slain civil rights leader.

White gave presentations at the college’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, and also spoke at its campuses in New Port Richey and Brooksville.

His talk was entitled “Making a King: The Contested Legacies of a Civil Rights Icon.”

White, a history professor from Dartmouth College, told the audience at the Jan. 23 event at Porter Campus about the gradual acceptance of King, which occurred over decades and resulted in a national holiday every year in King’s honor.

“It’s hard to imagine that Martin Luther King’s legacy was at one point contested,” White said.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his stirring ‘I Have a Dream’ speech during the Aug. 28, 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. (File)

Then, he asked rhetorically: “How did King become more popular in death?”

Before delving into this gradual shift, White shared facts on America’s perception of King prior to and immediately after his assassination.

In a 1966 Gallup poll, for instance, King had a 63 percent unfavorable rating across the nation.

Then, he showed the audience two images from King’s funeral procession in Atlanta.

In one image, dots were used to denote the minority of whites in the crowd; in the other, they denoted the overwhelming number of blacks in attendance.

“It visually gives you a sense of how unpopular King was in the broader community,” White said. “What we’ve witnessed in the 50 years since his assassination, has been the acceptance and admiration of King by all political stripes, races, creeds and colors.”

However, getting to that point was an uphill battle, as King tackled social issues, the professor said.

King called for a Marshall Plan to be implemented in the U.S. – similar to the one for rebuilding a post-World War II Europe. He proposed an initiative to advance economically stricken black communities.

This, along with King’s vocal opposition to the Vietnam War, only made him more unpopular, White said.

President Lyndon B. Johnson and the U.S. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act in 1965.

While this was seen as progress, the Watts Riots in Los Angeles followed soon after, raging for six days and resulting in more than $40 million of property damage, according to the Civil Rights Digital Library.

An investigation, prompted by California Gov. Pat Brown, found that the riot was a result of the Watts community’s longstanding grievances and growing discontentment with high unemployment rates, substandard housing and inadequate schools, according to the library’s website.

Dr. Derrick White was the presenter for the PHSC 34th annual Martin Luther King lecture series. At the Jan. 23 event at the Porter Campus, White analyzed the evolution of Dr. King’s rising popularity. (Brian Fernandes)

White argued that Malcolm X was seen as a more effective leader at that time because he was able to convey the anger of African-Americans in a way King did not.

What’s more, the backlash toward King and the civil rights movement was not only confined to the Jim Crow South, but throughout the Midwest and North.

“The racism and vitriol he faced in Chicago was worse than any place he had ever stayed in Alabama or Mississippi,” White stated.

The historian then circled back to his original question on King’s rising popularity after death. He attributed it to two incidents.

First, there was the creation of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center and its conflict with the Institute of the Black World.

Second, there was the debate in the 1970s and 1980s over having a Dr. King holiday.

After King’s assassination, his family opened an Atlanta institution in his honor in 1970.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Center consisted of a monument, library, park, museum and two academic institutions – one being the Institute of the Black World (IBW).

According to White, the King Center and its IBW faction had different agendas in mind.

The center wanted to solely memorialize King and mark the civil rights movement as a success.

The IBW, however, wanted to move beyond honoring the fallen hero and focus on liberating blacks, said the professor.

In the IBW’s quest to collect historical records for its archive, it found itself in mounting debt.

Financial issues resulted in staff workers being laid off and the institute eventually disbanding from the King Center.

White stated that the King Center’s overall vision would help set the stage for a national holiday.

Fifteen years of debate in Washington D.C., also played a factor in the inception of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Congressman John Conyers would first introduce legislation for a holiday in 1968, but it didn’t get the votes needed to pass.

In 1979, Sen. Ted Kennedy also implored a day of memorial, stating that King’s movement had been successful.

It wasn’t until 1983 that President Reagan signed the legislation declaring a Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, and it was first celebrated three years later.

Forty-four states initially recognized the holiday, but expanded as King’s signature speech became the centerpiece of his legacy, said White.

White argued: “Conservatives between 1979 and 1983 showed acceptance of the King holiday when they could not stop its passage – in part because King was now being defined by his ‘I Have A Dream Speech’.”

The professor tied it to today’s political atmosphere, stating that certain rhetoric and actions show a misunderstanding of King’s vision – citing the partial overturning of the Civil Rights Act in 2013.

When asked if America would have made progress had Dr. King not existed, White answered yes.

“We treat King as the entire Civil Rights Movement,” he said. “At some point someone would have emerged to push these issues forward.”

He added that the movement was bigger than King and that when Rose Parks came to prominence, King was an unknown pastor at the time.

Published January 30, 2019

Honoring the anniversary of September 11

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Flag-wavers held their flags high, as drivers passing by on U.S. 41 honked their horns in support.

The red, white and blue draped with stars has always symbolized America, but on this particular Tuesday, it held a much more significant meaning. It was 17 years to the day of the 9/11 attacks.

Local members of the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club, and other members of the community, stood outside the Old Lutz School, flags in hand, to commemorate the lives lost that horrific day.

Members of the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club, among others, came out front of the Old Lutz School to hold American flags high in remembrance of 9/11. (Courtesy of Patricia Serio)

They, like others in the country, paused to reflect and show gratitude to heroes past, and those still present.

The events of Sept. 11, 2001 changed the way of life in America.

On that morning, 19 men hijacked four U.S. commercial airplanes, crashing them into the Twin Towers in New York City, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  A total of 2,977 people were killed in the attacks orchestrated by al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, according to national reports.

The aftermath left many with long-term effects, both physical and emotional.

“In 2002, we started this because we wanted to remember,” said Pat Serio, coordinator of the event. “We wanted to share our patriotism and support.”

Serio, like others, knows exactly where she was when she first heard of the attacks.

She was at home watching the news when regular broadcasting was interrupted by the flowing smoke from the World Trade Center.

Her initial reaction was: ““It has to be an aviation problem,” she recalled.

Not long after, Serio came to find out that the country was under attack.

“As a (native) New Yorker, I felt the impact,” Serio added.

Dee Knerr, who also took part in the flag-waving tribute, said she was scheduled to fly back to Florida on Sept.11, after visiting family in Ohio.

“I was scheduled to fly home that afternoon, getting ready to go to the airport,” said Knerr. “Of course, all the flights were cancelled.”

After working 40 years at the Lutz Post Office, Knerr is now retired and dedicates her time to the woman’s club.

Besides remembering the lives that were lost on Sept. 11, the tribute was also intended to honor American troops, law enforcement and firefighters.

“They put their lives out there every day for us,” said Knerr. “I want to thank them all from the bottom of my heart.”

Ben Nevel, a member of the Citizens for the Old Lutz School Building, also took part in the tribute.

“We all need to stand together,” said Nevel, a veteran of the Vietnam War.

Another member of the crowd was Linda Mitchell, a Lutz native and retired teacher.

She recalled being conflicted, as the news broke about the terrorist attacks.

She decided not to show the news coverage in her class.

“It was hard being a teacher during that day,” she said. “We wanted to know as citizens what was going on, but we were protecting our students.”

Before retirement, she had the opportunity to teach children who were born after 9/11.

She said there was a stark contrast between how students who lived during the incident perceived it, and those who came after.

The memorial also came as something personal for Mitchell, as both her husband and son serve as Hillsborough County firefighters.

In waving their flags, the men and women gathered in front of the Old Lutz School were reminding those passing by about the need to remember the fallen, and to express gratitude for the men and women who continue to put themselves in harm’s way, whether they are wearing military uniforms, or serving as first responders.

Published September 19, 2018

Fallen officer cherished for leadership, love, and laughter

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The countless who knew Capt. Charles “Bo” Harrison, say they’re better people because of it.

And, the superlatives flow freely when people describe what he was like.

Here are just a few of those descriptions: Hero. Christian. Father. Brother. Husband. Friend. Leader. Coach. Servant. Great Officer. Integrity. Honorable..

Capt. Charles “Bo” Harrison was the highest-ranking black officer for the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. Harrison was gunned down on June 1, 2003 — just two weeks before he was scheduled to retire from a 31-year law enforcement career. Prior to his law enforcement career, he served in Vietnam as a U.S. Army paratrooper.
(Courtesy of Pasco Sheriff’s Office)

He was “a servant-leader who made a difference to every man, woman and child who came in contact with him,” said Pastor Deundrick Reed of Living Waters United Church in Dade City.

Reed served as master of ceremonies for the Bo Harrison Memorial on June 1 at the Boys and Girls Club.

The event has been held each year since Harrison’s watch ended on June 1, 2003 — the day he was killed in the line of duty.

“He walked it, he talked it, and he lived it,” Reed said. “He motivated and inspired. He sacrificed himself for others, no matter what. He was a man who was an example how we all should live our lives today.”

Harrison, then a lieutenant, had served with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office for 31 years. It was just two weeks before he was scheduled to retire when he was shot and killed while on surveillance near a nightclub on U.S. Route 301 in Lacoochee around 2 a.m.

He was 57.

According to reports, several deputies who were across the street heard a gunshot and went to investigate. They located Harrison in his patrol car suffering from a gunshot wound to the back. He was transported to Dade City Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Harrison had been shot with a high-powered rifle by a sniper who was in the nearby woods. The shot went through the trunk of the car and struck him in the back.

A 19-year-old suspect turned himself in two days later and was charged in connection with Harrison’s murder. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison with no parole.

Harrison, the highest-ranking black officer in county history, was posthumously promoted to captain.

He left behind a wife and three children.

Before his law enforcement career, Harrison served in the Vietnam War as a U.S. Army paratrooper.

Dozens of law enforcement officers and officials from the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Dade City Police Department and the Zephyrhills Police Department attended the memorial service.

Family, friends and members of the east Pasco community also attended, “honoring the memory of a man who answered the call to serve his country and community.”

The two-hour long gathering and reception also featured some of Harrison’s favorite gospel songs from his parish, St. John’s Missionary Church, in Dade City.

Harrison was mainly recognized for his impact to the community; serving as one of Pasco’s first black deputies; and for his life growing up in Dade City, where he was a sports star for the local black high school, Mickens High School.

Hazel Wells, 70, grew up with Harrison. She graduated high school with him in 1965 and remained friends long after.

In her words, Harrison was “a heroic, outstanding, God-fearing man.”

Last month, Wells wrote a proclamation to the Dade City Commission to forever make June 1 known as Capt. Charles “Bo” Harrison Day in Dade City.

Back in 2015, Wells successfully petitioned Dade City officials and neighbors to rename 11th Street as Charles “Bo” Harrison Street.

Wells also recalled Harrison for his upbeat, positive nature and athletic prowess.

“He was just a happy person,” Wells said, “and he loved sports.”

“I can still hear (people) on the Mickens ballfield yell, ‘Run Bo’ because he would run so fast. Any kind of sport, he excelled in,” Wells said.

Another lifelong friend, Willie Broner, 69, still cherishes fond moments with Harrison.

A crowd exceeding 100 people turned out for the annual Bo Harrison Memorial on June 1 at the Boys and Girls Club, in Lacoochee.
Dozens of law enforcement officers and officials from the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Dade City Police Department and the Zephyrhills Police Department were among those attending.
Many family members and friends and members of the east Pasco community also attended, “honoring the memory of a man who answered the call to serve his country and community.”
(Courtesy of Richard Riley)

Both played on the same sports teams growing up and also served together in Vietnam. While serving in the war, Broner was caught in enemy territory when Harrison risked a 20-mile trek “all by himself” to help rescue his childhood friend.

Broner went on to become a longtime educator in Pasco County and a successful basketball coach at Pasco High School, where he recorded more than 300 career victories.

“I will always remember Bo,” Broner paused, “as long as I live.”

“He will always be remembered in my heart. …I will always remember a great man; a great, great, great friend,” Broner said.

Harrison, known as “BoBo” by those closest, was also reminisced for his radiant smile, his great sense of humor, and his distinguished, boisterous laugh.

Such a laugh would often echo through the hallways of the sheriff’s office, said Pasco Sheriff’s Det. Johnny Windsor, who worked under the fallen deputy early in his career.

“If you knew Bo,” Windsor said, smiling, “you knew the laugh that he had. …You always knew when Bo was in the building.”

Windsor, himself now set to retire after a 30-year law enforcement career, shared several stories and tales about working with Harrison.

One that still holds meaning: Harrison welcomed Windsor and family to his church and to share a meal as part of law enforcement appreciation week.

For Harrison, race was never an issue, said Windsor, who is white.

“It’s something for somebody to want to invite you to their church,” said Windsor, “when you’re not the same color as they are.”

Added Windsor: “He did not see color and it didn’t matter. This day and age that’s important. It should be important to all of us.”

Also oftentimes “the happiest guy on earth,” the veteran detective recalled Harrison as someone he could reach out to for help at anytime.

“He was a guy that was very approachable,” Windsor said. “You could walk up to him and have a conversation with him. You could talk about work issues. You could go to him about personal issues. At that time there were very few people in the agency that I would go to with personal issues, but I will tell you Bo Harrison was one of them. I was proud to know that man. I was proud to say he was my friend.”

Windsor also said Harrison was a major influence on his career.

Looking back in his early days as a deputy, Windsor remembers thinking Harrison as “the guy I want to be like.”

“I believe that Bo Harrison probably made me the deputy sheriff that I am today and I thank him for that,” he said.

Published June 6, 2018

Mail call touches veterans on ‘mission’ flight

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Everyone likes to get mail. Especially when it includes a sincere thank you, a special drawing or personal thoughts.

Mary Rathman, of Land O’ Lakes, and a group of friends wrote almost 100 thank-you cards to veterans for an upcoming ‘mission’ through Honor Flight West Central Florida.

Honor Flight West Central Florida provides all-expense paid flights for war-era veterans in the Tampa Bay area to visit their memorials in Washington D.C.

These “missions” include about 80 World War II, Korean and Vietnam war veterans each time they fly.

During the flight’s return to the Tampa Bay area, every veteran on board receives a mail call — an envelope filled with cards, notes, drawings and more — from family and friends, as well as groups such as Soldiers’ Angels. The mail is meant to show appreciation for those who have served in honor of our country.

There are many ways to volunteer for the Honor Flight, including helping with preflight orientation, participating in the send-off and Welcome Home celebrations, helping to identify possible funding resources, becoming an Honor Flight Ambassador, spreading the word and encouraging war-era veterans to apply, and writing letters for mail call.

For information regarding the Honor Flight, visit HonorFlightWCF.org, or email .

To volunteer, contact (727) 498-6079 or .

Anyone interested in writing thank-you cards or letters, or sending in drawings from kids, can mail them to Honor Flight West Central Florida, P.O. Box 55661, St. Petersburg, FL 33732. Each piece of mail should be addressed to “An Honored Veteran.” The “missions” appreciate any help so that each veteran isn’t forgotten.

Published August 23, 2017

Ceremony honors Vietnam veterans

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It was a day set aside to honor veterans of the Vietnam War, and their loved ones.

More than 100 veterans of the Vietnam War, and their families, gathered inside the East Pasco Adventist Academy’s gymnasium on June 27 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

Veteran Air Force Sgt. Robin McIntosh, of Zephyrhills, shows off the lapel pin acknowledging service during the Vietnam War. (Photos courtesy of Richard K. Riley)
Veteran Air Force Sgt. Robin McIntosh, of Zephyrhills, shows off the lapel pin acknowledging service during the Vietnam War.
(Photos courtesy of Richard K. Riley)

Veterans at the ceremony received lapel pins acknowledging their service. Tribute was paid, as well, to the 58, 307 service members who died in the war, as well as the 1,167 still considered missing in action.

In his remarks to the audience, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis thanked the veterans for their service and for their sacrifices.

Bilirakis, who represents Florida’s 12th District and is vice chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, said two lessons learned from the controversial Vietnam War continually stand out to him: To leave no one behind and to honor the commitment to support war veterans.

“The members of the armed services who faithfully served with courage and honor were caught in the crossfire of public debate regarding the nation’s involvement, and did not receive the welcome home that they deserved,” Bilirakis said.

“Our veterans are our heroes — not our movie actors, not our athletes and certainly not our politicians; Americans need to continue to thank veterans on a daily basis,” Bilirakis said.

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis thanks veterans for their service. Others at the ceremony, included Jack Mariano, a Pasco County commissioner; Frank Jones of the Pasco Veterans Center; Arthur Hibbard, a U.S. Marine Corps corporal; and, Danny Burgess, a member of the Florida House of Representatives.
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis thanks veterans for their service. Others at the ceremony, included Jack Mariano, a Pasco County commissioner; Frank Jones of the Pasco Veterans Center; Arthur Hibbard, a U.S. Marine Corps corporal; and, Danny Burgess, a member of the Florida House of Representatives.

Within the past three years, Bilirakis has introduced two pieces of legislation (COVER Act, PROMISE Act) to help veterans get better access to primary medical care and to address the prevalence of mental health issues amongst veterans.

Estimates show that 22 veterans a day commit suicide, with many suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

A survey conducted by the Veterans Administration revealed that some 500,000 of the 3 million troops who served in Vietnam suffered from the condition.

Rates of divorce, suicide, alcoholism and drug addiction are also markedly higher among veterans.

“It’s awful; we must do something about it,” he said about the staggering suicide figures. “Our veterans have sacrificed so much for our country that it is up to us to provide them with the care and benefits they need, and have earned and deserve.”

The congressman said that serving veterans will continue to be his top priority in office.

The ceremony’s featured speaker was U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Art Hibbard, who served in the war from 1968-1969.

Hibbard choked up with tears as he reminisced the moment when all U.S. troops were withdrawn from the war in 1973 and the subsequent negative treatment they received upon arriving in America.

Jim Shultz, Rod Rehrig, Trevor Gray, all of Zephyrhills, and Tom Conely, of Dade City, listen to a speech by U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis.
Jim Shultz, Rod Rehrig, Trevor Gray, all of Zephyrhills, and Tom Conely, of Dade City, listen to a speech by U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis.

“There were no ticker tape parades, no triumphant marches as it were in the first two World Wars,” Hibbard said. “American Vietnam veterans returned home to silence, or worse,” he said, for having served their country during a controversial war.

Hibbard said he often gets asked about when he served in Vietnam. His response is the same each time: “Man, I was there just last night.”

For Hibbard, not a day goes by where he doesn’t think about his experiences in the Vietnam jungles.

“Every day for the past 40 years,” he said, “I wake up with it. I go to bed with it. I can’t stop thinking about it; I never will.”

The pungent odor of the bloodshed of war still haunts him, too.

“I’ll never forget the way blood smells,” he said. “You didn’t want to make a lot of friends when the possibility of dying is that real; we were in the business of death, and death was with us all the time,” Hibbard said.

Vietnam War (1954-1975)
U.S. Troop Statistics:
8,744,000 – Total number of U.S. Troops that served worldwide during Vietnam
3,403,000 served in Southeast Asia
2,594,000 served in South Vietnam

The total of American servicemen listed as POW/MIA at the end of the war was 2,646.

Death Toll
58,307- Total U.S. Deaths (Average age of 23.1 years old)
1.3 million – Total military deaths for all countries involved
1 million – Total civilian deaths
–Figures compiled by the U.S. Dept. of Defense

Published July 6, 2016

Honoring Vietnam War veterans for their service

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The City of San Antonio received an official Certificate of Partnership from the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as a Commemorative Partner Flag during the city’s commission meeting on June 21.

Brig. Gen. Thomas V. Draude, a retired member of the United States Marine Corps, presented the flag and award to the city, according to Lou Rinaldi, who is involved in the commemorative efforts.

San Antonio Mayor Tim Newlon, left, and Brig. Gen Thomas V. Draude display the flag. (Courtesy of Richard K. Riley)
San Antonio Mayor Tim Newlon, left, and Brig. Gen Thomas V. Draude display the flag.
(Courtesy of Richard K. Riley)

The Vietnam War Commemoration, being led by the Secretary of Defense, is supported through funds approved by the U.S. Congress in legislation that was signed into law in 2008.

President Barack Obama officially announced the Commemoration at a Proclamation Ceremony on Memorial Day in 2012 at The Wall in Washington D.C.

The Commemorative Partner Program is designed for federal, state and local communities’ veterans’ organizations, and other organizations, to help the country thank and honor Vietnam Veterans and their families, according to a fact sheet about the program.

Commemorative Partners must commit to conduct two events a year for three years, Rinaldi said.

The Commemoration is a way to respect and honor those who served in the Vietnam War, Rinaldi said, noting, “some of us remember how we were treated when we came back.”

The Commemoration program seeks to give those who served in the Vietnam War the respect and honor they were denied in the past, he said.

San Antonio is the first city in Pasco County to adopt the program, Rinaldi said. Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco has adopted it, and so has the Pasco County Commission.

Published June 29, 2016

A time-honored tradition to remember those who served

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The four men came to Lutz Cemetery on a Saturday morning, with a cool breeze stirring the trees, and the sun shining brightly in the clear blue sky.

They got to work quickly, each grabbing a supply of American flags and staking out a segment of the cemetery.

Bill Garrison, commander of American Legion Post 108, marches through Lutz Cemetery, surveying gravestones of military veterans to decorate with an American flag in honor of Veterans Day. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Bill Garrison, commander of American Legion Post 108, marches through Lutz Cemetery, surveying gravestones of military veterans to decorate with an American flag in honor of Veterans Day. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

The men — Bill Garrison, Ray Mason, Richard Fernandez and Jim Evans — worked their way through the rows of gravestones, looking for those marking the final resting place of men and women who served to protect American freedom.

While Garrison, Mason and Fernandez surveyed areas closer to U.S. 41, Evans checked out the rear section of the cemetery. Each time they found a veteran’s gravestone, they solemnly planted a flag at the edge of the gravestone.

Marking the grave with a flag is an act of remembrance, and of respect. It’s something members of American Legion Post 108 do at Lutz Cemetery every Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Veterans Day.

The flags remain until a day after Veterans Day, when the men come back to recover them.

The flags honor veterans from World War I, World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War. There’s even a grave of a Civil War soldier and another of a Spanish-American War soldier a soldier, Mason said.

The ritual of remembering men and women who served has been going on for close to 30 years, said Mason, the post’s adjutant.

Each time, they post about 200 flags. “We used to do more cemeteries, but membership dwindled,” said Garrison, the post commander.

As World War II veterans die, the post’s membership has declined. Now, the post — which draws its members from Lutz and Land O’ Lakes — has 97 members, Garrison said.

There are around 200 veterans buried in Lutz Cemetery, he said.

“There’s a lot of sacrifice here,” said Garrison, who served in the U.S. Air Force as a code breaker.

Fernandez, a past commander and the current financial officer for the post who served in the U.S. Coast Guard, said he takes part in the flag postings to honor those who have courageously served this country.

“Unfortunately they don’t get the honor and respect that they deserve,” Fernandez said.

Respect for veterans has improved, however, said Mason, who served in the U.S. Navy.

“Every once in awhile I wear my hat out, and I can’t believe the number of people who come up and say, ‘Thank you for your service,’” he said.

That’s a far different response than the one he received when he first finished military service.

“When I got out in ’65, everybody was against the war, all of that anti-Vietnam stuff,” said Mason, who did not serve in Vietnam.

He was surprised by the negative reception.

“I was taken back,” Mason said.

Evans, who served in the U.S. Army during Vietnam and during the first Gulf War, said posting the flags at the cemetery provides a sense of satisfaction.

“It gives you a nice feeling to have them remembered,” he said.

The men do the best they can to ensure they honor each veteran buried there. They look at the gravestones for any indication of military service.

“Sometimes it is just a little notation on there,” Evans said.

To make sure he didn’t miss any, Garrison kicks leaves off of graves, and scrapes off dirt. The other men made close inspections, too.

“I hate to miss one,” Evans said. “It really hurts me if I miss a veteran. We always make an extra sweep, and we always find some that we missed.”

Evans estimates he’s posted flags at the cemetery about 20 times. Sometimes, the work is easier than others. During the recent posting, conditions were pleasant.

But the heat can be brutal during the Memorial Day and Fourth of July postings, or sometimes it’s pouring rain.

“There have been times after a heavy rain where you almost sink,” Garrison said. “We slop through the mess.”

On the upside, though, “there’s no problem with putting them (the flags) in,” he added.

After they post the flags and complete their sweep, the men conclude by playing “Taps,” — a final tribute for those who served.

Published November 12, 2014

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