Community mourns homeless Vietnam vet Manny Fluker, a fixture in Bradenton
He was a homeless Vietnam War veteran, and a fixture on Bradenton’s Old Main Street.
His jeans covered in patches and mysterious scribbles like “access control,” “antagonist” and “forager sheriff,” the gaunt veteran with a kindly face and friendly smile sat on a sidewalk bench, watching the world that had left him behind go by.
At night, he slept wherever he could.
On Sept. 5, 2021, after spending somewhere between 30 and 45 years on the street — nobody knows for sure how long — Emmanuel Fluker died at age 76.
“He didn’t want a lot of help, or a lot of comforts. He was so used to a suffering lifestyle,” said James A. Smith, who had taken an interest in Manny, the name many knew him by, earned his trust and befriended him.
Manny may be gone, but the Bradenton community is scrambling to pay their respects to a man who honorably served his country, and returned from Vietnam a changed man.
Brown & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory handled Manny’s cremation. Gene Brown, the mayor of Bradenton and chief operating officer for the funeral home, suspected that Manny might be a veteran and eligible for burial in Sarasota National Cemetery.
He reached out to Sandy Gessler, an Army veteran and historian for American Legion Post 312 in Bradenton, to see whether she could verify Manny’s war service.
“It took only four hours to find him in government records and authorize the burial. I called Sarasota National Cemetery to see if we could do it joint and bury them side by side,” Gessler said.
Manny, who served in the Army from 1966 to 1968 as a helicopter mechanic and as a private first class, is scheduled to be buried next to Pvt. Albert Hall, a Parrish resident, who served in the Army during the Korean War and died earlier this year, also without family.
Their escort is set to gather at 1 p.m. Thursday at Christopher Cobb Memorial Post 312, American Legion, 1610 67th Ave. E., Oneco, and depart for Sarasota National Cemetery about 1:30 p.m. Services are planned for 2:30 p.m. at the cemetery, 9810 State Road 72, Sarasota, where the two veterans, brothers in arms, will be buried side by side.
Laura Licoski, who founded Facing Homelessness Bradenton, Fla., knew Manny well.
“He was very guarded and reserved the first time I met him. He didn’t talk to me, but he listened. He let me hug him, even though he was as stiff as a board,” Licoski said.
In subsequent visits, Manny warmed up to Licoski.
“He was so dear to so many people. He was an all-around sweetheart. People would buy him beer and give him food. He loved strawberry soda. I brought him some and his face lit up. It brought back his childhood,” she said.
After seeing him writing on his jeans, she gave him a leather ledger book, and was happy to see him begin writing his incomprehensible notes in the book. “It was crazy,” she said of the notes.
“Manny grew up in Manatee County. He’d been homeless for more than 30 years. That was by choice. He liked the simplicity of life on the street. But he would say with the drugs and violence on the street, it was a whole new ballgame,” Licoski said.
“He didn’t bother anybody. He just wanted to be. Nobody ever took offense at him. He was like everybody’s grandpa. He would light up when he saw you. He giggled every time that he saw you. I loved him. He was a legend down there,” she said.
Another person who met Manny downtown and grew to love him was Smith.
“He was warm and friendly, and it turned into a two-year relationship,” Smith said. “He started trusting me, and I would take him to dinner, or on a cold night, invite him up for hot chocolate and to watch a Netflix movie. He was very smart and would show me where his old high school was. We were this close to getting him temporary housing through the VA when he died.”
Smith agrees that it was Manny’s choice to be homeless, not that it was an easy life.
“He slept everywhere, in a parking lot, in the parking garage, behind a church, in the rain and mud,” Smith said.
Sometimes Manny would decline an invitation to come off the street by saying, “No, I don’t want to get too comfortable,” Smith said.
Smith, a podcaster, was planning to do segments with Manny on homelessness and veterans, and the Vietnam veteran was interested in taking part.
“I seriously loved Manny. I had him in my studio on his birthday. We got him a cake and sang happy birthday to him. He said it had been a long time since he had a birthday cake,” Smith said.
Manny also made a strong impression on Michelle Ringler.
“Manny was such a sweet and kind man. I loved seeing him downtown and gave him a hug every time I saw him. Shared a few chats and a beer. I never heard a bad thought come out of his mouth. Always kind and loving. It’s just truly going to be sad not seeing him down there anymore. I think it would be so awesome just to create a statue of him sitting on a chair in front of the local pub with his legs crossed, just smiling as he always did,” Ringler said.
Gessler said she has been moved by the response to Manny’s passing.
“Brown & Sons donated urns for both veterans. They have gone above and beyond honoring these veterans. As have the members of Christopher Cobb Memorial American Legion Post 312,” Gessler said.
Monday afternoon, Gessler said some of Manny’s family had finally been located.
Gessler talked to Manny’s sister, Mary Fluker Taylor, in Rochester, N. Y.
“They just learned about his passing and didn’t know that he had been cremated. She said she was very honored with what we are doing, and that the family is appreciative, that they wouldn’t have been able to do this for him,” Gessler said.
Thursday at 11 a.m., the First United Methodist Church downtown will be playing ‘Amazing Grace’ on their church bells to honor Emmanuel Fluke.
“If you are downtown and hear ‘Amazing Grace,’ please send a prayer or kind thought in remembrance of Emmanuel,” Angel Colonneso, clerk of Manatee County Court, posted on Facebook.
More about homelessness among veterans
In 2015, Manatee County was home to an estimated 40,000 veterans and 300 of them were thought to homeless, although no one knows the count for sure.
The Yellow Ribbon program at Turning Points in Manatee County is funded by Department of Veterans Affairs’ grants through the Supportive Services For Veteran Families program, a national initiative to provide shelter and other services for low-income vets.
In its last fiscal year, July 2020-June 2021, Turning Points served 403 veterans, including 128 who were homeless, said Margi Dawson of Turning Points.
Dan O’Connell, a disabled Marine veteran who volunteered trying to get veterans off the street, said in 2015 that homelessness is often a choice, and that veterans may not want to come in from the cold and accept a roof over their head.
“They are not asking for anything. They don’t want to beg,” he said. “Veterans will break your heart,”
This story was originally published October 4, 2021 at 2:05 PM.
