TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Events to thank veterans

ADVERTISEMENT

By LAURA FRAZIER

lfrazier@tampatrib.com

Published: November 11, 2009

BRANDON - Beth Rodriguez has seen her share of tearful smiles and heartfelt thank-yous, especially of late.

Rodriguez, general manager of Hillsboro Memorial Gardens, said such sentiments were expressed en masse at the cemetery on State Road 60 during a display of the travelling Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall replica.

More than 1,000 visitors lined up during the last four days in October to see the three-quarter scale replica, now on its way to Yonkers, N.Y.

The names of more than 58,000 servicemen and women who died or remain missing in Vietnam are etched on the 8-foot high, 240-foot long monument's reflective black surface. Many who came to the exhibit in Brandon used paper and pencils provided to make transfer rubbings of the names of fallen friends, family members and comrades.

"It touched a lot of hearts, particularly all the veterans who came to see it," Rodriguez said.

Several services set in the greater Brandon area to remember fallen veterans and to honor living vets and active-duty military members are free and open to the public:

Today

The Hillsborough County Veterans Council will hold a Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m. today at Veterans Park and Museum, 3602 U.S. 301, Tampa.

More than 100 Junior ROTC cadets from local schools will present a traditional pass-in-review ceremony. The council's most prestigious honor, the Edwin Porterfield Award, will be presented in memory of Phyllis Busansky, the Hillsborough County supervisor of elections and former county commissioner who died in June. Steven Scott, chief of the Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center at James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital in Tampa, will deliver the keynote speech.

Seating under tents is available, and refreshments will be served after the ceremony. For information, call Dave Braun, (813) 310-8513.

Friday

A concert in memory of Seffner resident Michael D. Thomas, an Army Special Forces staff sergeant killed in 2007 in Afghanistan, will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at First Baptist Church of Mango, 11619 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Seffner.

Robert Moffa of Ruskin, an award-winning composer and pianist whose work is often military-inspired, will perform. The concert is sponsored by the American Ideals Foundation, created by Moffa 28 years ago. The nonprofit group networks with painters, poets and military groups to create honor ceremonies for fallen veterans at no charge to their families.

The concert is free, but donations will be accepted for the Sergeant Michael Thomas Scholarship, which will be awarded annually to one graduate of Armwood High, Thomas' alma mater.

Donna Allen-Krug, a longtime friend of the soldier from Seffner, remembers him as someone who liked to laugh, have fun and help people. The two corresponded by e-mail while Thomas was stationed abroad.

"He wrote back home to try and get things like shoes and little gifts for the kids in the village where he was," Allen-Krug said. "Then he spearheaded a drive to collect money to buy a new sewing machine for the village seamstress. He just always liked to help people."

The American Ideals Foundation also will present Thomas' family with a memorial portrait of the soldier, painted by internationally renowned artist Greg Crumbly, at an honor ceremony during Saturday's Veterans Day Seffner Fest.

Saturday

The Greater Seffner Chamber of Commerce will host its second annual Veterans Day Seffner Fest from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at 11505 Broadway Ave., Seffner. The event is sponsored by Service 1st Credit Union.

Event chairman Dennis Schrand said the chamber hopes to surpass by leaps and bounds its small but successful initial effort.

"With the involvement of the U.S. Army, the American Ideals Foundation and many other groups, I foresee this becoming a marquee event for recognizing our veterans and current military men and women in eastern Hillsborough County," Schrand said.

Entertainment and activities will be offered throughout the day.

Tommy York, a decorated Vietnam veteran and grandson of famed World War I hero Army Sgt. Alvin C. York, will make a special appearance. Martin Gramatica, a former kicker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, also will speak.

The American Ideals Foundation will conduct an honor ceremony in remembrance of Seffner resident Michael D. Thomas, an Army Special Forces staff sergeant killed in 2007 in Afghanistan.

Several World War II vets are slated to speak during the day, including a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, a famed group of men who, from 1941 to 1946, accepted a challenge to become the country's first black military airmen.

Family and friends of active duty or fallen servicemen and women are invited to bring a photo of their loved one to post on a Wall of Memory on the festival grounds.

For information, call Schrand at (813) 843-0894, or go to www.seffnerfest .com.

Tuesday

A parachute team from U.S. Special Operations Command will drop in, and Ye Mystic Air Krewe will fly over in formation at a groundbreaking ceremony and barbecue fundraiser set to kick off at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Veterans Memorial Park and Museum. The park is on the banks of the Tampa Bypass Canal, just south of the Florida State Fairgrounds.

The Hillsborough County Veterans Council is sponsoring the barbecue to raise money for the park's Theatres of War project. Patriotic events and rotating educational displays are held throughout the year at the 3,652-square-foot museum and 35-acre park. Displays include the Veterans' Freedom Memorial, the county's official memorial dedicated to all of America's veterans, and the Submarine Veterans of World War II memorial.

A pig roast lunch - $12 per person - includes hot pulled pork, baked beans, tossed salad, dinner rolls, iced tea and homemade cake. Seating under tents will be provided, along with complimentary coffee and water.

For information, call the museum, (813) 744-5502.

Reporter Laura Frazier can be reached at (813) 627-4767.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT