Reaching out across The Pond
Webmaster reproduces here an article written by Ken Tipper
who lives in Ocala Florida USA., Ken is a Royal Navy veteran
and a survivor of the Sinking
of HMS Punjabi. He is a huge supporter of this website
and emails webmaster most days, there is a close bond between
all veterans wherever they might be living.
Veterans Park a Community Treasure by Ken Tipper
It’s a place where anyone can go to stroll reverently
among the many thousands of etched bricks, which bear the
names of veterans who have served their country in time of
war and peace, and to view the benches and colorful plaques
that were sponsored by families, veterans’ groups, and
community organizations. And it’s the place where, five
days a week, veteran volunteers show up to staff the office
from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., to conduct tours for the general public,
and to sell those bricks, benches, and plaques which are mute
testimony to the service of so many. It’s the Ocala/Marion
County Veterans Park, which for those of our readers who have
never been, is located at the corner of Fort King Street and
25th Avenue.
There are many stories hidden in the roster of volunteers
who faithfully show up each day to serve their stint, and
in between chores to while away the time reminiscing about
those long-ago days when they were young, and when they answered
the call to arms. Office Manager Sara Fitzgerald, a retired
Major in the USAF Nursing Corps, whose countless hours of
volunteering for the past four years bear testimony to her
dedication to the park, is proud of her regular roster of
volunteers, and also of those veterans who can always be counted
on to fill in, and who show up to help out in special events
at the park.
Among those “regulars” is Wayne Riebow, who as
a Fire Control 3rd Class member of a gun crew on the U.S.S
Missouri, was at his battle station four decks above the ship’s
quarterdeck when Gen. Douglas MacArthur presided over the
surrender of the Japanese in Tokyo Harbor. Known as the “Mighty
Mo”, the battleship is now a memorial in Hawaii to all
those who served on her. Then there is Dick Merrill, who bore
a charmed life in Korea serving in the Army. Hit in the foot
by a sniper while a forward observer, he spent only 10 days
at an aid station before going back to his unit. Four days
after returning to the line, Dick’s radioman stepped
on to the trip wire of a “Bouncing Betty” anti-personnel
mine, and Dick and another man took the full brunt of the
explosion. Hit in the left side, legs, and back, Dick spent
the next three months in hospital in Japan.
Second to none, in the number of hours spent at the park,
is Dewey Roberson, who served in the Air Force in the Pacific
in World War II. Dewey has been involved in the park’s
evolution since the park’s driving force, Tommy Needham,
a Seabee in World War II, and a former County Commissioner,
first conceived the idea of this tribute to the area’s
veterans. Dewey will tell you about the countless hours spent
by Tommy and his band of volunteers who literally built the
first phases of the park with the help of jail inmates and
with the wonderful donations of in-kind and cash contributions
from all segments of the community. A visible example of community
involvement is the park office itself, which was built by
the Marion County Home Builders Association, and which replaced
the old shack that served as headquarters for the park’s
formative years.
A volunteer for many years, Don Hankey is a retired Navy
Chief Petty Officer who, among other postings, served on aircraft
carriers as a flight controller. And of particular interest
to regular volunteer LeRoy Strawder at the park is the impressive
granite memorial to our local military group, the 351st Military
Police, which on its return from Desert Storm was accorded
a great welcome home, in the form of a parade that ended at
the park. LeRoy was a Corporal on active duty with the 351st.
He is also Commander of American Legion Post 27. Officer Manager
Fitzgerald’s partner staffing the office on Mondays
is Terry Crider, who was a Communications Technician 2nd Class
in the Navy during the Korean War.
Rounding out the regular roster, George Wood was a Staff
Sgt. in the Air Force during the Korean War. He spent part
of his eight years in the service on an ice island known as
“T3”, that floated around the North Pole. The
Russians had a base on the opposite side of the island and,
though it seems hard to believe, according to George the two
countries claimed the island six months each every year. George
is such a great guy that we tend to believe him!
There are far too many names of all those who have been important
figures in the development of this community treasure to record
here. Suffice to say that they are appreciated beyond measure.
A plaque installed in the park on July 4, 2001, records that
as of that date volunteers had donated 20,000 hours, and contains
details of the value of donations of money and in-kind contributions
to the park. In the six years since then, it is very likely
that volunteers have at least doubled that figure in donations
of their time.
Veterans are quick to tell you that the park is a community
park, for the use of all citizens, and they welcome anyone
to visit so that they can tell the stories that abound along
the park’s serene walkways, and in the Medal Of Honor
Plaza. They are proud of being a vital part of this beautiful
area of our city, and are always willing to help visitors
fill out an application for an etched brick to add to the
5,600 already there. Come and see us!
Email to Ken Tipper
Latest News From Ocala - September 2010
Saturday, August 20, 2005, was a red letter day for many
Marion County, Florida, veterans, for it was on that day that
they saw the result of their labours when the Ocala-Marion
County Veterans Memorial Park was commissioned. For one man
in particular it was especially memorable, since his dream
of building a monument to the county’s veterans was
now a reality. Tommy Needham, who served in the Seabees (Construction
Battalion) during WWII in Alaska and the Pacific, first came
up with the idea of a veterans park after he had visited such
memorials around the U.S.
A man of action, who had served on the County Commission
for 12 years, Needham set about raising money and material
donations from local residents and businesses, and gathered
round him a group of veterans who would supply the initial
labor to start construction. Work progressed over the years
to the point when the Marion County Commission funded the
final phase of the park to the tune of some 435,000 dollars.
Sadly, Needham, who became a friend of mine after I became
a volunteer at the park several years ago, passed away recently,
but was able to enjoy the fruits of his labors and those of
his friends for some four years.
More than 6,000 etched bricks,130 granite plaques, and 140
granite benches bear witness to the valor and service of local
veterans, and it is my honour to have six of those bricks
commemorating my family’s service in the Royal Navy,
British Army, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Marines.
Each quarter, at the Veterans Park, there is held a reading
of the names of those local veterans who have passed on during
the previous three months. The next reading, at 10 a.m. on
October 2, will have a special meaning for me, since I have
gathered together a group of WWII veterans to read those names.
Two of them were in the Battle of the Bulge, one was on a
destroyer sunk by Kamikazes in the Pacific, one was on the
USS Missouri when the Japanese surrendered to Gen. MacArthur,
one was in the Merchant Marine, and me.
Keith’s wonderful offer to include our park on his
outstanding website is very much appreciated, and I hope that
our contribution will be of interest and spark some communication
across the “Pond” in the future.
Latest News From Ocala - March 2011
I had a letter in the March issue of “Navy News”
and there was another from a chap in St. Augustine, which
is about 2 hours north of us. He is a Brit, and a member of
the navy League in St. Augustine. He was inviting RN ships
to visit St. Augustine when they are in port at Mayport, Jacksonville.
Upshot is that I am going to be a guest of the Navy League
there!
