State honor for Ocala veteran

Steve Petty of Ocala was inducted into the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame on Nov. 6 in Tallahassee. [Photo courtesy Marion County]

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Posted November 7, 2025 | By Andy Fillmore, [email protected]

Retired U.S. Army Capt. Steven Petty of Ocala, who flew more than 1,000 combat missions in the Vietnam War and received 46 combat decorations, was inducted into the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame on Nov. 6 in Tallahassee.

Petty continues to serve fellow veterans as the head of the nonprofit Vet Resource Center in Ocala, which provides free cancer screenings to veterans and other veteran benefit information.

“I’m very humbled,” Petty has stated about the honor.

The state’s 13th class of Veterans Hall of Fame inductees includes five esteemed veterans, such as former astronaut Robert Crippen, a retired U.S. Navy captain, according to a press release from the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, an agency involved in the inductee selection process.

Crippen, a Navy aviator, was the pilot of the inaugural orbital flight of the Space Shuttle (STS-1, 1981), according to nasa.gov. He piloted three later shuttle missions and served as NASA director, the website indicates.

The other three honorees are Lt. Col. Marlené Carter, U.S. Army (Ret.); Lt. Col. Alicia Rossiter, U.S. Air Force (Ret.); and Col. Peter Tan, U.S. Army (Ret.)

“FDVA Executive Director James S. Hartsell will preside over the event, which will include an unveiling of their names on the Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame Wall of Honor on the Plaza Level of the Capitol,” the FDVA press release stated.

Petty was born on March 30, 1944, in California and was raised in Texas. He comes from a military family; his father was in the D-Day invasion at Omaha Beach and his grandfather was in the Army. Petty joined the Army at age 19.

Petty served as a flight commander for UH1D helicopters in Vietnam from May 1967 to May 1968. He was with the 191st Assault Helicopter Company, 214th Aviation Battalion, 12th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade.

Petty said his helicopter unit was assigned to “total support “of the troops, from
assault to medical evacuation and resupply of food and materials.

Petty has received decorations including the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross (twice) and Air Medals with 40 Oak Leaf Clusters, which signifies the medal was awarded 41 times.

Petty said his Purple Heart award was related to shrapnel wounds suffered during a mission. He was medically retired from the Army.

Petty is president and director of the Marion County Memorial Honor Guard, which provides military honors for veteran funerals, including services at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida.

Petty is co-founder with veteran Bob Levenson of the Vet Resource Center, which provides comprehensive information for veterans and their families about available benefits from Agent Orange related issues to burn pit concerns. Petty said the VRC was established about four years ago to “give back to those who gave so much to our country.”

The VRC offers qualified Florida resident veterans free Galleri cancer screening blood tests, which the VRC website states are funded by a grant from the Marion County Hospital District and a Marion County Community Service Block Grant.

Kathy Henderson, a U.S. Army veteran and VRC secretary, pointed out that veterans’ health can benefit from the screening.

“Four veterans who indicated Stage 1 cancer in the test and sought treatment are now cancer free thanks to getting the test,” she stated.

Todd Belknap is executive director of Marion County Veterans Helping Veterans, which is housed in the Veterans Service Building, also the location of VRC, at 2730 E. Silver Springs Blvd., in Ocala.

Petty “is a relentless advocate for veterans of Marion County and their families,” Belknap said.

To learn more about the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, go to floridavets.org