Fla. monument unveiled

By LUCY MORGAN
Published June 6, 2005

TALLAHASSEE - Florida veterans came to the state capital Monday to mark the 61st anniversary of D-Day with the unveiling of a new monument honoring those who fought and died during World War II.

Some arrived by the busload, walking stiffly and slowly with the help of canes. Others were in wheel chairs. Some wore their medals or uniforms as they sat in the sun and watched Gov. Jeb Bush and other dignitaries praise Americans who have fought for freedom.

Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Littrell, 61 of St. Pete Beach, who won the Medal of Honor for heroism in Vietnam in 1970, was one of the honored guests.

Littrell, president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, is one of three Medal of Honor winners who live on the same street in the Pinellas County community.

Other veterans singled out by Bush included Bill Coleman, dressed in the uniform and red beret of the 101st Airborne. Coleman, 81, a former legislator from Orlando, was among the first paratroopers dropped into Normandy the night before the D-Day invasion.

He was shot in both legs on the way down and taken prisoner by the Germans five days later. Coleman has gone back to make the same jump on the 50th and 60th anniversaries of the invasion. Bush said Coleman looks fit enough to jump again.

Bush also noted the presence of Judge Robert Decatur, one of the famed Tuskeegee airmen who is retired and lives near Titusville; Owen Council, another member of the 101st Airborne who parachuted into Normandy and lives in Crawfordville; Larry Snowden of Tallahassee who was at Iwo Jima; Clayton Taff of Crawfordville, who served in the Marshall Islands and Okinawa; and Ed Mims, a Tallahassee retiree who flew B-24's over Europe.

"During the past few years, the eyes of a thankful nation have again focused on the brave men and women who defended freedom and defeated tyranny," Bush said. "Today, a new generation of Floridians looks to you to learn from your example of courage, sacrifice and devotion."

The monument, tucked alongside the R.A. Grey Building, includes a bronze plaque for each of the 67 counties and a replica of the Florida portion of the national World War II monument in Washington. Inside the museum is a permanent exhibit: Florida Remembers World War II. The exhibit also includes a guidebook outlining Florida's involvement in the war.

Almost 250,000 Floridians fought in World War II and the state is now home to about 350,000 veterans of the war.

Planning and construction of the memorial has been underway since 1999. The $545,000 monument was built primarily with money raised by various veterans groups around the state.

[Last modified June 6, 2005, 19:05:03]