Local veterans appreciate salute from USF Sarasota-Manatee
MANATEE -- Ninety-year-old Bob O'Neill sat under a speaker playing Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA, and greeted other veterans, staff and students.
He was reveling in what he sees as a new wave of respect being shown to veterans around the country.
"It's something that should have happened years ago," the Bradenton resident said.
Thursday was Veterans Appreciation Day at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, and the campus rotunda was packed with vets and other folks.
O'Neill, who began a 37-year Navy career as a 16-year-old in 1941, was at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese sneak attack on Sunday morning, Dec. 7, that dragged the United States into World War II.
"I only got to Pearl Harbor on the Wednesday before the attack. We were supposed to leave on Monday. We didn't get out of there for two weeks," O'Neill said.
The terrorist attacks of 9/11 brought renewed respect for those who defend the United States, but O'Neill fretted that memories of what happened at the World Trade Center will fade, as have recollections of what happened at Pearl Harbor.
"It's only been in recent years that the public has started appreciating veterans," O'Neill said.
O'Neill, and the other vets who attended USF Sarasota-Manatee's run-up to Veterans Day, had nothing but praise for the event.
Jim Watkins, 78, of Bradenton, called the new era of good feeling for vets a "complete turn-around" from the days of the Vietnam War.
"Freedom isn't free. If someone isn't out on the line defending this country, they wouldn't have this beautiful campus very long," Watkins said.
Jordan Foth, 21, of Sarasota was one of the students who took part in Veterans Appreciation Day.
"I think it is a great way to get the veterans involved and for the students to show appreciation to the veterans who served," Foth said.
Tommy Swiney, 72, a retired Army sergeant major and veteran of two tours in Vietnam, said the event not only pays respect to vets of all ages, but encourages younger vets to stick together and stay in school to complete their education.
"I think it is great," Swiney said.
Brian Russ, 67, who served as a helicopter gunship pilot in Vietnam, praised USF Sarasota-Manatee.
"I think they do a wonderful job," said Russ, now a member of the Vietnam Brotherhood.
Other events planned to observe Veterans Day include:
Ring Sarasota, in collaboration with First Brass of Sarasota and vocal choirs, will present a tribute concert to veterans 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, at Church of the Palms, 3224 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota. Tickets are $15 and are available at eventbrite.com. Proceeds will be donated to Manasota Operation Troop Support, a nonprofit that supports local troops and their families before, during and after deployment. Information: 941-914-0175.
Braden River Middle School's 15th Annual Flag Raising Ceremony" 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10.
A ceremony to add the name of Marine Sgt. John R. Holmes to Bradenton's Vietnam War Honor Roll monument is set for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, at Veterans Park, located just north of Manatee Memorial Hospital.
Veterans Day parade, starting at 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, at the Manatee County Fairgrounds and proceeding south on 11th Avenue, ending at the Sutton Park grand stand in Palmetto.
Freedom Elementary School's Let Freedom Ring Ceremony 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 12.
The Chiles Restaurant Group - the Sandbar Restaurant in Anna Maria, the Beach House Restaurant in Bradenton Beach and Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant in North Longboat Key - will offer lunch or dinner free of charge to active and inactive military personnel on Veteran's Day at all locations. To receive this offer, military personnel must show their military I.D. or DD214. A number of local businesses have special offerings for vets on Veterans Day. For a list, visit my-mcvc.org/9.html, and click on great deals.
James A. Jones Jr., Herald reporter, can be contacted at 941-745-7053 or on Twitter@jajones1.
This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 5:26 PM with the headline "Local veterans appreciate salute from USF Sarasota-Manatee ."