Flag Day in Ocala
Local events included a replica of George Washington’s tent at Valley Forge and honoring student essay winners.
Fourth grade student John Roberts Jr., with his mother Molly Roberts, shows his handwritten patriotic essay, which was one of the 25 winning entries recognized at the Marion County Veterans Council Flag Day program on June 15 at the Ocala/Marion County Veterans Memorial Park. [Photo by Andy Fillmore]
Flag Day events at the Ocala/Marion County Veterans Memorial Park on June 14 and 15 included a visit from George and Martha Washington and the Marion County Veterans Council announcing the winners of a patriotic essay contest for local fourth graders
Members of several area chapters of the Florida Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, including the Ocala and Withlacoochee chapters, provided a look at the Revolutionary War era with an exact replica of George Washington’s military field tent, which he used from 1776 to 1783.
David Hitchcock, with the SAR, said the tent project took about four months to assemble and that the camp bed inside was a replica of the one used by Washington at Valley Forge.
The tent also contained a table, flintlock pistol and case containing candle molds, scissors and pieces of eight coins. The coins got their name because users would break off up to eight pieces of them to equal specific amounts, according to display guide Stephen Burke, who was dressed as a Revolutionary War era militia man.
In a previous “Gazette” article, Hitchcock said the actors portraying the Washington’s were Bill and Cara Elder, both retired educators. She also is a first-person Martha Washington interpreter for the Daughters of The American Revolution.
“We have plans to travel throughout Florida,” Hitchcock said of the exhibit. “We are an educational outreach program. We would love to bring our program to school campuses around the state.”
Presenter Stephen Burke, right, explains the exhibits in the Sons of the American Revolution’s Washington Military Field Tent replica to Filipe Zuniga, foreground, and Caetany Zuniga. [Photo by Andy Fillmore]
Ron Oppliger, chairman of the Friends of Marion County’s Veterans Park Foundation, a group that supports the park, places monuments and offers programs, invited the SAR displays. He said the presentation by the Elders on Saturday was “awesome.”
“This is a first for the park,” Oppliger stated on a social media post.
Dee Collier, portraying historical character Rachel Walker Revere, the wife of Revolutionary War figure Paul Revere, is assisted by an audience member during the Sons of the American Revolution event on June 14 and 15 in Ocala. [Photo by Andy Fillmore]
Collier, in character as Rachel and dressed in period garb, spoke about life in the 1770s, meeting and marrying Paul, the political struggles of the times and their family life, including him calling the children “lambs.”
Bill Stone of the SAR had a Brown Bess rifle on display. He said the Revolutionary War era British weapon fired a .68 caliber ball. The rifle was found in Afghanistan and is now owned by an area resident.
On Sunday, the Marion County Veterans Council held their annual Flag Day program with a group pledge of allegiance led by 101-year-old World War II veteran and Ocala resident Howard Mautner. The Marion County Memorial Honor Guard provided a color guard.
The program recognized the winners of the council’s annual patriotic essay contest, with a certificate from the council and $25 prize donated by local veterans’ groups and private veterans for each winner, according to Suzanne McGuire, MCVC secretary.
McGuire said more than 50 students submitted essays this year.
Retired U.S. Army Col. Craig Ham, immediate past president of the MCVC, spoke of developing a “deep, abiding respect for our flag” with the fourth-grade essay contest.
John Roberts Jr. was one of the 25 essay winners. He said the essay focused on the “history” of the American Flag. He was accompanied by his parents, Molly and John Roberts, and brother and sister, 8-year-old twins, William and Emma.
Molly Roberts said she is “very proud” of her son.
In addition to Roberts, the other essay winners were Taylor Bramlet, McKenzie Calamela, Harper Goldsmith, Charlotte Jarvis, Edwin Keeton, William Kyle, Brawnson McCandless, Elliot Quest, John Ruppel, Parker Yancey, Dominic Rivera, Elena De Palma, Elijah Ramos, Briggs Magamoll, Finn Miller, Bennet Zirkle, Brody Boutwell, Cassidy Bostic, Kenley Ann Futch, Cameron Pozzutto, Elizabeth Harper, Sophia Arellano, Noah McDonald and Emerson Ayers.
The Ocala/Marion County Veterans Park at 2601 SE Fort King St. is home to hundreds of commemorative engraved bricks, numerous benches, monuments and historical markers honoring veterans of America’s military conflicts and wars. The park is overseen by the Marion County Veterans Service Office.
A monument to Medal of Honor recipients is at the middle of the park and has a center panel devoted to Ocala resident Hammett Bowen, who died in the Vietnam War while saving the lives of several of his comrades.
To learn more about the park, go to marionvetpark.com and marionfl.org
For information about local SAR chapters, go to fb.com/OcalaSAR and withsar.org
Support community journalism
The first goal of the Ocala Gazette is to deliver trustworthy local journalism so corruption, misinformation and abuse are not hidden from the public or unchallenged.
