Military might on display
An appreciation event on Oct. 26 and 27 at the veterans’ park in Ocala drew crowds to see vintage and modern vehicles and gear.
Myles McConico, whose U.S. Army service included cavalry scout, sits in the driver’s seat of a 2012 M1151A1 HMMWV as veteran Chris Latorre, who also served in an M1151A1, mans the .50 caliber machine gun during the Veterans Appreciation Weekend at the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Park on Oct. 26 and 27. [Photo by Andy Fillmore]
Dylan Valot, 11, was on a mission Oct. 26 at the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park.
“Dylan wants to shake as many veterans’ hands as he can and thank them,” said his father, Kevin Valot, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan in 2010, and attended the event with his son, father-in-law and a nephew.
Vietnam War veteran Gary Stokes also was among the many visitors to the park during the Oct. 26 and 27 Veteran Appreciation Weekend organized by the Friends of the Marion County Veterans Park Foundation in cooperation with the Marion County Veterans Service Office.
The weekend included military vehicles ranging from World War II and Korean War-era equipment to the Vietnam War and Global War on Terrorism eras, displayed by members of the Florida Military Vehicle Heritage Group and Russell’s Military Vehicles of Cairo, Georgia.Dallas Bynum with the latter group said some vehicles were trailered and others were driven to the park at 2601 SE Fort King St., Ocala.
Demonstrations of military gear were part of the weekend’s events.
Myles McConico, community engagement director for Kut Different, a youth mentoring nonprofit in Ocala, served in the Army from 2011 to 2017 in the Global War on Terrorism. He looked over a 2012 M1151A1 HMMWV displayed by Felix and Tammy Menjivah of Live Oak. The vehicle was restored in an armored version with ballistic glass and a .50 caliber machine gun in a roof top turret.
McConico, whose military duties included Cavalry Scout, served in the same type of vehicle. As he looked inside, veteran Chris Latorre, who also served in an M1151A1, joined him. The veterans found they both had served in the Army’s 1st Infantry Division at different times and chatted about their service and lives afterwards. Latorre’s father, Ray Latorre, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of Operation Desert Storm, joined the two Army veterans.
Ocala City Councilman Jim Hilty, a USMC veteran of the Vietnam War, spoke at the opening of event. He commented about the park honoring “the men and women of our Armed Forces, those who sworn an oath to the support and defend the Constitution of United States of America.”
“Those of us who swore that oath know it has no expiration date,” he said.
World War II veteran Howard Mautner, who was honored with a banner in the park, and members of Boy Scout Troop 72, recited the pledge of allegiance. The national anthem was sung by Hannah Stucky. Navy veteran chaplain Mark Rankin offered a benediction.Honored guests included Korean War veteran Ralph Mueller. Todd Belknap of Marion County Veterans Helping Veterans also spoke and about 20 members of the Vanguard High School Navy JROTC performed drills.
Shelly D. Bothwell Jr., an Ocala native now living in Virginia, served in the Army from 1985 to 1991 and in the Marine Corps from 1991 to 2016, including in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He said several models of Jeeps on display reminded him of the Army and the Humvees were reminiscent of his service in the Marine Corps.
William Wood, 22, an active-duty Army MP, stood near a display of two military vehicles and military gear with his father, William Wood Sr. of Newberry.
Another father-son team, T.J. Miller and Ryan Miller, 17, of Trenton, dressed in World War II era German military uniforms, displayed a 1964 Russian motorcycle converted into a replica of a WWII German military rig with a sidecar and weaponry.
Tom Anderson was fully outfitted as a WWII Army GI soldier with a steel pot helmet, circa early 1940s uniform and M-1 Garand rifle. Andrew Shogren of Silver Springs was also dressed in WWII Army garb and equipped with a .45 automatic sidearm in a holster.
Oscar Morris and wife Kathy Morris of Eustis operate the outreach Free Canes for Veterans, which has distributed nearly 1,100 canes. He served from 1984 to 1991 on the aircraft carrier America CV-66.Charneal Mallory visited the event with family members, including her children Dylan, 9, and Elizabeth, 8, who posed with re-enactors.
Dave Thomas, with the Florida Military Vehicle Heritage Group, showed visitors like Will and Stephanie Tucker, an Air Force veteran, and their son, Liam, 3, his 1943 Autocar M15A1 Halftrack. The WWII-era vehicle has a gross weight of 21,600 pounds, with tracks on the rear and wheels and tires in the front for steering. Thomas also went over some features of the halftrack with Joellie and Bruce Gonseth, who is commander of American Legion 284 Al Krietemeyer Memorial Post in Belleview. Joellie Gonseth is an officer with the American Legion Riders with the post.
Mike Kelley, an Army veteran of the Vietnam War, displayed his meticulously restored 1968 M151A1 Jeep, similar to one he drove in the war in 1969 and 1970. Scott Henry checked out the Jeep and said he drove a similar model on patrols when he served in the Vietnam War and worked as military law enforcement in DaNang.
Vietnam War veteran Benny Bachand served on the destroyer U.S.S. Ault. He commented as he looked at the military displays that it’s always “veterans (who) honor veterans.”
To learn more about the Friends of the Marion County Veterans Park Foundation, go to marionvetpark.com