Veterans honor their comrades' sacrifices

By MICHELLE JONES

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 30, 2000

LAND O'LAKES -- One flag.

That's all Chuck Brown saw during a Sunday drive from Land O'Lakes to Tampa.

He thought that was scant recognition for the sacrifices of so many.

Brown, 74, considers himself one of the lucky ones who came back alive after serving in the 82nd Airborne in World War II.

"There was a lot of blood and a lot of comrades lost in the war," he said. "We need more people to recognize and know about this time."

Brown was at the Memorial Day ceremony held Monday morning in front of the Land O'Lakes Community Center on U.S. 41. Hosted by the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 120, only three civilians attended, the rest were members of the DAV and their wives.

To Herm Meier, another DAV member, Memorial Day means more than barbecues and going to the beach.

"It is (a day) to remember the veterans who are no longer with us," said the 74-year-old who served in the Marine Corps during World War II. "Whether they died in combat or not."

Commander John Mitchell read names of members of the DAV that have died, honoring their memory. He also read the words from Almighty Father, Strong to Save, a hymn that asks for protection for those in peril on land and sea.

Four rifle team members of the chapter, Chuck Brown, John Henry, Francis LaJoie and Meier, fired three rounds into the air, after Leo Bose gave the commands. Barbara LaJoie then played a recording of taps. Two wreaths were placed at the center's flag pole/memorial, and the flags were then dropped to half-staff. The entire ceremony took less than 15 minutes.

"It (the attendance) has been dropping off every year for the past few years," Mitchell said after the ceremony. "Several years ago, we had as many as 35. We even waited a few extra minutes to start this year, because someone called asking for the time of the service."

Mitchell said that recent legislation passed in Florida should help people remember.

"It is now required that all schools teach the wars, the history of the wars," said the 65-year-old who served in the Navy at the end of the Korean War.

Another veteran, 69-year-old Bill Padgett, agreed that the men and women who fought and died for freedom must be remembered.

Padgett was instrumental in obtaining funding for the flag pole/memorial in front of the center.

"We had the memorial erected at the bargain price for $6,000 in 1989," he said. "We got a lot of help from local merchants and individuals."

Padgett served in the Air Force during the Korean and Vietnam wars.

Brown added that Memorial Day has another meaning: freedom.

"All the people need to do is to live in another country for one week and they would appreciate the freedom of America," he said.

Anna Volkman, who has been married to her husband Robert for 46 years, says she knows what Memorial Day is about.

"We are honoring all those people who fought and died for our country from the very first," she said. "My husband served in the military for 21 years, so I know what it means."

Members of the local DAV who Mitchell named during the ceremony are as follows: Ray Bonebreak, Ralph Essick, Anthony Justi, John Peters, Armond Ruggerio, David Sage, James Sick, Jack Widdos and Eugene Wojtas.

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