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 VETERANS DAY 2004 Saluting his hero, his sonStories of their sacrifice Jeff Webb: Veterans have earned a real day of remembranceEditorial: Veterans deserve show of support for sacrificesTampa Bay: Stories of their sacrificePinellas: Veterans Day events todayHernando: Back to combat zone, but in peaceCitrus: Parade will salute those who served in Vietnam WarPasco: Survivor of WWII gets new tour of duty
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With thousands of American soldiers and Marines waging a fierce house-to-house battle in far-away Fallujah, their loved ones and fellow citizens will pause today to honor their sacrifices and those of the uniformed warriors who have come before them.
On Veterans Day, we pay homage to all service personnel, to the concept of military service and not to any one veteran. As the saying goes, all gave some, some gave all.
Here in Citrus County, we will hold a parade along the Main Street of the county seat and salute those brave men and women who survived the armed conflicts that have involved this nation over the last half-century or more.
The annual parade is very well-deserved and, we hope, very well-attended.
The thoughts of many people today naturally will be drawn to the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan that are creating veterans - and American casualties - at a relentless rate. Whatever your beliefs may be concerning the justifications for these wars, whether the rationales provided by our nation's leaders hold up under even the slightest objective scrutiny, one fact is irrefutable: Young Americans are dying every day in service to their country.
No one should ever dishonor these sacrifices, today or any day, by suggesting that these men and women have died in vain. Each felt a call to duty and responded, just as those marching in the parade today did so many years ago. They all deserve nothing less than our complete support and humble gratitude.
These wars are not being fought by anonymous individuals, however. These wars have touched the lives of many of your friends and neighbors in Citrus County. Some you may be familiar with, many probably not.
The most recent casualty from Citrus is Army Sgt. Dennis J. Boles of Homosassa, who collapsed during a 10-mile march and died Oct. 24 in Kuwait. Born on Independence Day in 1958, Boles graduated from Crystal River High School in 1978 and served in the Florida Army National Guard. In civilian life, he was a commercial painter and played with a local rock band, Mid Life Crisis.
Earlier this year, our community mourned the death of Army Chief Warrant Officer Aaron A. Weaver, who was killed on Jan. 8 in Fallujah. A Black Hawk pilot, on that day he was a passenger in a medical evacuation helicopter on his way to a checkup for testicular cancer when the aircraft was shot down. Weaver, 32, grew up in Floral City and attended Citrus High, and joined the Army after graduating with the class of 1989.
As an Army Ranger, Weaver received the Bronze Star with valor for "extreme courage" for saving another soldier's life in the October 1993 battle of Mogadishu, Somalia, which later became the basis of the film Black Hawk Down.
Weaver will be remembered locally through the recently chartered Aaron A. Weaver Chapter No. 776 Military Order of the Purple Heart. Officials with the organization recently presented a framed copy of the chapter's charter to Weaver's widow, Nancy, and his father, Mike, before a Citrus High School football game.
A one-time local star athlete, Ricky Posselt of Crystal River, has traded in his football uniform for Marine Corps dress blues. The 23-year-old former state weightlifting champion at Crystal River High, now a Marine Corps second lieutenant, shipped out this week for duty in Afghanistan. Fittingly, Posselt was born on Veterans Day.
Many other residents, lesser-known but no less deserving of our respect, have served overseas recently and are still giving back to their community.
People such as Army 1st Sgt. Lester Sassard of Crystal River, who spoke to the Nature Coast Young Marines while on leave this summer about his 81/2 months in Tikrit, Iraq. And Joseph "Bubba" Morris, who attended Citrus High School and the Withlacoochee Technical Institute, and works at the Sumter Correctional facility. A member of the Army Reserves, he was called up to active duty and returned in February after a year of service in Iraq.
There are many more local men and women who have served overseas or who are heading there who should be remembered on this day. These include the members of the Florida National Guard's 690th Military Police Company out of Crystal River, who soon will be en route to Afghanistan. They all deserve our prayers.
Then there are quiet heroes such as Glenna Blenkhorn of Beverly Hills. A member of the Cracker Quilters of Citrus County, Blenkhorn created a red, white and blue quilt that was sent to Operation Homefront Quilts, which gives quilts to families who had a loved one killed in the Iraq war.
There is much to be thankful for on a day such as this. As we honor all of those who have fought to protect our liberties, we should be grateful that we live in a country that produces so many people who selflessly answer the call to national service.
Today, find time to attend the Veterans Day parade in downtown Inverness (it starts at 10 a.m.) And be sure to stand and salute as these local heroes pass by. They deserve nothing less.
[Last modified November 11, 2004, 06:33:03]
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