Honoring Our Veterans

A crowd of more than 250 gathered at Veterans Community Park on Saturday, November 11th to commemorate Veterans Day by honoring the brave men and women who have served in the military, particularly those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

The 90-minute ceremony, sponsored by Marco Island’s American Legion Post 404 and the City of Marco, started with military precision at 11:00 AM sharp with a welcome from US Army veteran Terry Kehoe, who served as co-master of ceremonies with US Army veteran John Apolzan.

Featured speakers included Assistant City Manager and US Navy Veteran Casey Lucius and Wayne O. Smith, a US Air Force Vietnam veteran who survived more than five years in the infamous Hanoi Hilton POW prison. Smith’s plane was shot down on his 90th and final combat mission over North Vietnam. His honors include two Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Bronze “V” Stars, seven Air Medals and the Purple Heart.

During her address, titled “What It Means To Be A Veteran,” Lucius painted a vivid and patriotic picture of the American dream and those who step up to defend it and are willing to die for it.

“I think the reason so many Americans sign up to serve in our military is because they believe in an idea, an idea that we can’t physically see or feel, but an idea that we cling to because it represents who we are as Americans and the hope that we have for other people who weren’t fortunate enough to be born in America,” Lucius said.  “As Americans, we have these bold ideas. We have ideas about goals and dreams. Ideas about prayer and voting. We believe in these ideas about protesting and speaking up. And we are absolutely certain about these ideas. We are absolutely certain that these are our rights. But what’s really special about America and American citizens and people who serve in the military is that we don’t believe in these ideas just for us. We believe that these are rights and freedoms for all people. And we have served in 178 countries to share these ideas and protect these rights for others. And sometimes we fight and die for these ideas.”

The ceremony also included a memorial to the five local veterans who have passed away in 2023: John Basic, Vito Ferretti, Douglas Johnson, John Miniutti and Jack Patterson. Basic’s daughters, Cathe Ostrowski and Sally Cruger, attended the event. It was the first since their father, a WWII Navy veteran, passed away in August at age 99.

“One of the amazing things about Marco Island is that whenever we would go out in public, people would see his hat and always say ‘thank you for your service,’” said Cruger. “He was just so proud of this community.”

The event also included flyovers by the Marco Island Civil Air Patrol and the Collier County Aviation Unit, which flew a Vietnam-era Huey helicopter low over the crowd.

Kehoe’s remarks included a heartfelt plea to other veterans to seek help in addressing mental illness resulting from their service in the military, recounting his own experience at the Naples Vet Center, run by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said. “It’s vets getting together to get healthy in a professional setting, truly veterans helping veterans.”

US Marine Corps veteran Joe Batte, Vice Commander at Large for American Legion Post 404, announced plans to erect a bronze statue commemorating Vietnam War Veterans in the memorial section of Veterans Community Park.

“It’s long due,” he said. “It's going to take a few bucks, but it’s all going to be private donations. There will be no taxpayer money involved.”

The ceremony concluded with a rousing rendition of God Bless America, sung by Lois Kehoe, Terry’s wife.