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Veterans Day solemnly marked
By JULIANNE WU © St. Petersburg Times, published November 11, 2000 SEMINOLE -- While the election of the next president of the United States hung in the balance, about 400 veterans, their spouses, families and friends paused Friday to attend the Veterans Day observance at the VA Medical Center at Bay Pines. The day's theme was the 50th anniversary of the start of the Korean War and the 225th birthday of the founding of the Marine Corps. But the presidential election was uppermost on the minds of many. "The election process isn't a joke," said David C. Miller, president of the Pinellas County Veterans Liaison Council, the master of ceremonies. "Veterans have fought for many freedoms, including the freedom to vote. Veterans are very concerned about what is happening. For our country's sake, I hope they solve it soon." Miller, 52, of Largo, served in the Marine Corps from 1965 to 1971 and received a Purple Heart for injuries received in Vietnam. In his invocation, Lawrence McConnell, VA chaplain at Bay Pines, also alluded to the election. After reading off the names of the 17 service men and women who were killed on the USS Cole Oct. 12, he said: "We hold our breath as a nation elects its next commander-in-chief. We breathe a sigh of relief knowing that somehow, mysteriously, this transfer of power has occurred every four to eight years, for more than two centuries. " Among the highlights of Friday's ceremony under the live oak trees at Bay Pines was a performance by Jack Kapanka of Orlando who has sight in only one eye. He sang a song he wrote called What They Gave To Me. Kapanka, whose father and grandfather served in the Armed Forces, sang: "America is the land of the free . . . I feel so lucky what they gave to me." He got a standing ovation from the audience, which also included many ROTC students and students from various Pinellas County public and private schools. Another poignant moment came when veterans from several wars laid a wreath in front of the podium. Led by Alfred Pugh, 105, a World War I veteran, the group included veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm. Retired Army Col. Charley D. Price gave the keynote address. "To the last man and woman, our dues are paid in full," said Price, who spent 28 years in the Army and now lobbies Congress and the Florida Legislature for laws favorable to veterans. "Freedom is not a given," he said. "We must always be on guard to protect the benefits." Before the observance began, several veterans arrived early. George Silvey sat in his wheelchair in back of the VA nursing home where he resides. Silvey, 57, spent 25 years in the Air Force. He now faces an enemy of a different kind: cancer of the throat. When asked why he came for the observance, he wrote on a piece of paper: "Veterans Day is exactly what it stands for: Honor, Country, God and Freedom." Marylyn Voerg and Lucille Martin, president and chaplain, respectively, of the Westcoast Chapter 69 of the Women's Army Corps Veterans Association, found seats in the front row as they waited for the parade and ceremony to begin. "Certainly the contributions of women are very important," said Voerg, 73, who served stateside as a company commander and first lieutenant in the WACs during the Korean War. "Even though women couldn't be in combat back then, they were pretty quickly in the middle of things, helping tend to the men who got wounded in battle."
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From the Times North Pinellas desks |
