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Tag: Memorial Day Holiday

  • Manatee County honors Memorial Day with a ceremony

    Manatee County honors Memorial Day with a ceremony

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    BRADENTON, Fla. — Manatee County residents honored their fallen heroes on Memorial Day as the city of Bradenton held a ceremony Monday morning at the Veterans Park near the Riverwalk.

    What You Need To Know

    • Vietnam veteran Dick Sheehan served in the Army for 27 years

    • He says the Donald L. Courtney Veterans Park allows people in the community to honor those who died for their country

    • Many came together on Memorial Day to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice

    One veteran attending the ceremony was Dick Sheehan, who served in the Army for 27 years.

    “One of the main things for me is all of the people that died in my unit in Vietnam, to remember them so no one forgets them,” he said.

    He said the Donald L. Courtney Veterans Park by the Riverwalk allows people in the community to honor those who died for their country.

    “It’s very special that they have a ceremony like this that you can attend,” he said. “Some places don’t have them, so it’s great to have a memorial park where we can have a remembrance.”

    Bradenton’s Mayor Gene Brown said it’s always important to remember the area’s fallen soldiers, and ceremonies like the one held on Memorial Day help bring the community together.

    “As long as we can do these things to celebrate our veterans — those that served us, those that are serving us, and those in the military who gave the ultimate sacrifice — if we stop doing it, then we forget,” Brown said.

    Palmetto’s Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant said the best way to honor them is to remember.

    “So, back to the central question: How do we fulfill an obligation to remember our departed service members? The simple answer is to, and my call to each of you today and to each of the citizens, is to strive to be personally worthy of the sacrifice,” she said.

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    Julia Hazel

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  • 98-year-old WW2 veteran becomes a composer

    98-year-old WW2 veteran becomes a composer

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    NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — At nearly 99 years old, World War II veteran Fred Faulkner keeps himself busy with his love of music.

    What You Need To Know

    • Fred Faulkner took part in the Battle of the Bulge during the winter of 1944 
    • He composed a piece about the battle 10 years ago 
    • The Florida Orchestra would eventually arrange the piece and play it during their largest event of the year 

    Faulkner was in the U.S. Army during World War II with duties in the Signal Corps — listening in on German radio transmission. He took part in the Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944, the massive counterattack by Nazi forces against the allies. It eventually became one of the largest battles fought by the U.S. in the European theatre.

    “We had the cold on top of the conflict. A shortage of supplies. You pick it, it happened to us,” Faulkner said.

    Faulkner has a lifelong love for music and has played in small groups and marching bands. But eventually added composer to his talents. He decided to write a piece about the Battle of the Bulge, naming it “The Ardennes March” about 10 years ago.

    “It’s just a way of expression for me, it’s been a major part of my life,” Faulkner said.

    Recently, that composition would be handed over to Ross Holcombe, a member of the Florida Orchestra. He helped to arrange it for the orchestra to play.

    “I think it’s even more incredible that Fred is not a classically trained musician or composer; that he found a way to do this. He had something inside that wanted to come out,” Holcombe said.

    The Florida Orchestra eventually played “The Ardennes March” during its “Pops in the Park” event, their largest of the year. After playing Faulkner’s piece, they brought him up front and center to act as conductor. leading the orchestra through “Stars and Stripes.”

    “The first couple of bars I was a little bit nervous, but it didn’t take long before I got into it,” Faulkner said.

    Faulkner is considered to be part of what many call “the greatest generation” — a generation that is quickly fading into the history books.

    Very few remain but Faulkner hopes his music lives on  to tell future generations about a horrific conflict that took millions of lives and that what was lost is never forgotten.

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    Jeff Van Sant

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  • Memorial Day: Bradenton community honoring WWI Lieutenant

    Memorial Day: Bradenton community honoring WWI Lieutenant

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    MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Memorial Day is a time to remember those who sacrificed their lives to protect us, our freedom, and our country.

    What You Need To Know

    • Kirby Stewart, 27, was an Army lieutenant he was a Florida native was killed in 1918 after leading his platoon into the Battle of Saint-Mihiel
    • According to the commander for American legion Post 24, family and members of a local American Legion post will honor Stewart in a ceremony his family has held every year since 1918
    • The Manatee County Veterans Council is also honoring our fallen heroes; both the mayor of Bradenton and Palmetto will speak at the event

    Family and members of a local American Legion post will honor World War I Army Lt. Kirby Stewart. It’s a ceremony his family has held every year since 1918.

    The 27-year-old Florida native was killed in 1918 after leading his platoon into the Battle of Saint-Mihiel in France. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism, which is the second highest military decoration.

    The war hero not only left an impact on the Bradenton community but also the American Legion post 24 that’s named after him. John Rauh is the commander at the legion and comes to this cemetery every Memorial Day to honor the fallen hero.

    Rauh has seen a lot change over his 13 years at the legion and his time serving, but says one priority in the community has been consistent year after year, and that’s the continued support for our fallen heroes.  

    He credits the younger generation for taking the time to remember those who fought and died.

    “I’ve seen a lot of these kids. They are in JROTC. We do an oratorical thing on the Constitution. We do Boys Day. These kids are phenomenal,” he said.

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    Julia Hazel

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  • Thousands of flags to be placed at graves to honor veterans

    Thousands of flags to be placed at graves to honor veterans

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — With Memorial Day just a few days away, the organization Flags for Fallen Vets is gearing up to plant thousands of flags at Bay Pines National Cemetary. 

    It’s a tradition Erin Masciulli, a volunteer for the nonprofit, said is close to her heart. 

    Her father, an Army veteran, died four years ago and is buried at the Sarasota National Cemetery.

    “Making music in heaven, a bear that cared,” she read on a headstone. “It gives you an insight into that individual.” 

    More than 20,000 veterans are buried at Bay Pines National Cemetery, and Masciulli said that on Sunday they will make sure every single one has a flag.

    She said they place a flag 12 inches away from the grave, the veteran’s name is spoken and thanked for their service. 

    “It’s an honor to be out here to ensure that every one of them has a United States flag to represent their service,” she said.  

    Masciulli said it’s an honor to give these veterans the recognition and respect they deserve, and is grateful for the donations they receive that allow them to do this.

    “Without the community’s support and family support, we wouldn’t be able to do this,” she said.

    She said this is the third year they’ve placed flags at Bay Pines, which also happens to be the typical lifespan of the flags they use. 

    Next year, many of the flags they use will need to be replaced, but Masciulli said she is confident that with the continued support from the community, flags will continue to cover the cemetery.

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    Matt Lackritz

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  • 1.3 million North Carolinians expected to travel this Memorial Day weekend

    1.3 million North Carolinians expected to travel this Memorial Day weekend

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    RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolinians are going to be traveling in record numbers this Memorial Day weekend.

    AAA predicts more than 1.3 million North Carolinians will travel 50 miles or more. That’s the highest number of holiday travelers since AAA began keeping their eye on these numbers in 2000.

    What You Need To Know

    •  AAA predicts a record-setting 1.3 million in NC will travel for the Memorial Day weekend
    •  More travelers are expected to hit the road and travel by plane
    •  Airports are bracing for a spike in travelers

    Travelers have a multitude of options for getting where they’re wanting to go. Road trips are expected to set a record in North Carolina and nationwide, with nearly 1.5 million more Americans on the road than last year. Air travel is also expected to be up.

    This will be the most crowded Memorial Day weekend at airports since 2005, according to AAA. Director of Public Affairs with AAA, Tiffany Wright, said air travel has rebounded back after the pandemic.

    She said there’s a strong interest in flying, both domestically and abroad. Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) said they expect an 8% increase in travelers over last year; and expectations at Charlotte Douglas Airport (CLT) are 20% more travelers.

    Wright added if you are flying this weekend, you should give yourself more time than you usually do to get yourself to the airport.

    “I would say maybe get to the airport two and a half hours early for domestic, three and half for international,” Wright said. “I’m just saying that because you really want to give yourself enough time to get though security when you know those lines are going to be very long.”

    Spectrum News 1 also spoke with travelers to get their take on how this weekend is going so far and how they prepared for the chaos they might see at the airports.

    “Believe [it] or not just before we landed, I just put my head back because of the chaos of the traveling, and I just began to thank God that we didn’t have any problems, it was a straight flight for us,” Jacqueline Williams, a holiday traveler, said.

    “Traffic was good, clean, smooth, no problems, little rain here and there, spotty rain, but other than that it was a good traffic drive too,” Alexander Williams, another traveler, said.

    “Carry-on bag only, so I didn’t have to worry about missing my layover, and then also traveling red eyes, may be a little less popular, I got on a flight at midnight out of Denver, so kind of going at a time that people don’t want to go and then landing early here,” Justin Munro, a Memorial Day weekend traveler, said.

     

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    Anissa Lopez

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