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Tribute paid to those who serve today

While honoring the past, an Oldsmar Veterans Day ceremony is dedicated to the families of current service members.

By TAMARA EL-KHOURY
Published November 12, 2005

OLDSMAR - Michele and Don Carey came to City Hall to honor their son.

They wore T-shirts with pictures of Barton R. Humlhanz, only 23 when he was killed in his second tour of duty in Iraq when his convoy came under attack.

The back of their shirts read, "All gave some and some gave all Aug. 26, 2004."

Residents of Oldsmar for only a month, the couple from Pennsylvania were asked to place a wreath of flowers in front of the city's veterans memorial, as a bagpiper played Amazing Grace and taps.

Friday's Veterans Day ceremony was dedicated to the families of those currently serving in the armed forces.

Quoting former Presidents Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy and Thomas Jefferson, with a Chinese proverb thrown in the mix, state Rep. Gus Bilirakis stressed the importance of passing on veterans' stories to children too young to remember.

"We know from history that bad things happen when good people do nothing," he said.

Wearing an American flag tie, Mayor Jerry Beverland recognized the veterans in the crowd as well as the families whose loved ones were currently serving.

"When tyranny rose its ugly head and said, "I want your freedom, I want you to be a slave,' our veterans rose up and said, "Not in this country,' " Beverland said.

The ceremony was brief, with about 50 people in the audience, but the speeches were full of praise for American veterans.

"Today we honor those men and women, some who are with us, and others who are not," said state Rep. Kim Berfield, who asked the audience in her keynote address never to forget those who left for battle and didn't return.

Seven names were added to the memorial this year and were given special recognition before Vice Mayor Jim Ronecker and council member Suzanne Vale read the names of the 320 veterans already engraved in the stone.

New inductees included Garry Dettman, 69, who served in several places including Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and the Panama Canal zone. He has been living in Oldsmar for two years.

"I was 21 when I went in because I got tired of waiting to be drafted," Dettman said. He later found out he wouldn't have been drafted after all. He ended up serving in the Air Force for 24 years.

Hugh Kriever's name was also recently added to the wall. Kriever, 76, served in the Marine Corps from 1948 to 1952.

He remembered wanting to be a Marine since he was 13 or 14. At the time, he was visiting his uncle, a National Guardsman in Washington, D.C., and seeing a Marine standing on duty at Fort Belvoir. It was the sharp uniform with the red stripe that hooked him.

"I thought the Marine Corps got me controlled because actually prior to going in, you know, you have a few chips on your shoulder and you think you're Mr. Macho and when you go in the Marine Corps, they straighten you up in a hurry," Kriever said.

Other new inductees included Joseph Sciro, Army, 1938 to 1941; Doyle Moss, Army, 1969 to 1971; Martine Olsen, Air Force, 1978 to 1981; Max Woodall, Marine Corps, 1950 to 1954; and Harry Cope, Army, 1943 to 1946.

After the ceremony, Woodall and Dettman met near the 1944 World War II Jeep owned by Steve Pantle, a history buff. Pantle said he bought the truck on eBay for $12,000 and spent another $1,500 shipping it from California to Oldsmar.

Woodall remembered using similar trucks when he served in Korea.

"When we got them they had been used in World War II and some of them were in pretty bad shape," Woodall said.

And then, the story swapping began.

[Last modified November 12, 2005, 00:54:17]