A Brotherhood from Innocent Days Gone By
Apalachicola, Florida
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Clear, 85°
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
The drive from Tarpon Springs up and around the panhandle of Florida is consistent with the old South in many ways. There is still the love of country with flags being flown from many houses and yards. There are the billboards sharing John 3:16 or other bible verses reminding one of the South’s religious views as a God fearing people. The growth over the last decade from Tarpon Springs to Crystal River was unbelievable. It is now one continuous community with little open or wooded space common to this part of the state.
Once you left Crystal River on the drive north up to Perry, Florida it was once again back to that familiar pastoral views of farms, trees, and the occasional house. Those living in the area have a mentality of a simpler time, not in a big hurry or worrying about the world’s problems just happy to be in their own town and its people. It has a tendency to remind you of the small town values where many of us are from in this country.
There were some flags flying that I was not familiar with so I will look them up for another blog post shortly. What I found in a quick search did not surprise me and I will share it with you soon.
As you make your way in the big curve leading out onto Florida’s panhandle and back out to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, one sees the big business of tree harvesting with many old forests ready to be cut down. There are many newly planted fields as well as trees in various years growth waiting their time to be harvested. It is nice to see the forest being replanted for future generations without leaving the scars of the opened clear cut lands in view.
There was a quick stop at Mad Anthony’s bar and grill on the water in Panacea, Florida. Like its name, it is all healing with great seafood, atmosphere with a great view of the boats coming or going out to the Gulf. It is one of my favorite seafood places to eat in this area.
Driving over the last couple of bridges the sights turn to the beautiful waters of the coast. The aqua-blue against the vivid light blues combined with the white sands give this area a well-deserved label of beautiful beaches. The small waves breaking on the sand bars with people fishing or netting in the shallow waters is always fun to see. The white puffy clouds hanging over the blue/green waters give a great backdrop for all of the fun in the sun activities going on. We finally arrive on Paradise Lane and find a small slice of it as we are greeted by Gary and his wife Lynn. Over the years he had invited me several times to stop in while in this part of Florida.
Gary & Lynn
It had not happened until this trip and it was great to finally meet him. We went to the same high school but Gary was a couple of years older than me. His sister Morlee was in my class and Gary, like many of us, went into the service out of high school. He served in SE Asia in that little slice of jungle called Vietnam.
We both served and over the last eight years or so with everyone connecting with old friends on Facebook we had done so on our high school reunion page and became internet friends. Over those years, we had contacted each other on the telephone, in emails, or through posts on FB and had gotten to know each other through the internet. We had never had the opportunity to meet in person. This was a great time to do it. The travels would take me very close to him. It was decided to forego a couple of days in New Orleans and stop by Apalachicola for a bit to finally meet, have a meal and see how each of us are doing.
Gary & D.
It’s funny how the brotherhood of men and women that have served in the armed forces look at one another. There is a bond and it doesn’t matter whether we had met before or not; we all see the world with a slightly different viewpoint as our youth was taken and replaced with a sometimes cynical and hopefully funny outlook on life and living. This time now is so valuable and precious that wasting it is not in our cards. We look for things that give pleasure, therapy of sorts, and a broader truth in what life brings to those of us who experienced something extraordinary in our young lives.
I’m sure Lynn had to wonder what to expect having total strangers show up at her home. Hopefully she saw something pretty special as Gary and I met, talked, and shared time together. I know for me, spending time with them, eating at their local restaurant, and being driven around showing us the sights of their small town America was fantastic. You walk in for dinner just before closing and they (staff) did not care, wanted to serve us and did not rush our meal, again showing the Southern hospitality for which we are known.
After dinner and a drive around town seeing all of the mom and pop shops and eateries was wonderful. There was another surprise as we exited the car on a sultry moonless evening with an ever so slight breeze, a Vietnam Memorial park which was lit up with the “Three Soldiers Monument”. The focal point of this beautiful park, the Three Soldiers Monument in Apalachicola, Florida, pays honor to the Southern solders who served in Vietnam.
Three Soldiers front view
It was great seeing this at night as the lighting was perfect and I honestly do not think the sun’s rays would have done it justice. The starkness between shadow and light around the monument was almost haunting. It left one to walk around the statue seeing how the light both illuminated and played off the monument as you slowly turned to the different sides. Each had a very different look either full frontal or off to one side.
Side view
To the rear was a dedication marker stone that read:
“The portrayal of the figures is consistent with history. They wear the uniform and carry the equipment of war: They are young. The contrast between the innocence of their youth and the weapons of war underscores the poignancy of their sacrifice. There is about them the physical contact and sense of unity that bespeaks the bonds of love and sacrifice that is the nature of men at war. And yet they are each alone. Their true heroism lies in these bonds of loyalty in the face of their aloneness and their vulnerability.“ (Frederick Hart, September 20, 1982)
Marker
The monument was cast from the original molds of sculptor Frederick Hart's stunning Three Soldiers statue that stands at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. It was funded by the Frederick Hart estate and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and was cast in 2008.
An informational stone at the monument describes its purpose well:
Dedicated this 12th day of July, 2008 in memory of those persons from the South who valiantly served their country during the Vietnam War (1959 - 1975). Their commitment to their country, to freedom and to each other will long be honored by this memorial which represents, for all time, the human face of those who served.
It is a little known fact that nearly one-third of the casualties experienced by the United States during the Vietnam War were suffered by Southerners. Of the 58,193 men and women estimated by the National Archives to have been killed in Vietnam, a total of 17,831 of them were from the South.
The average age of those killed was only 20 and most died in combat in the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), although men and women also lost their lives in North Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Communist China.
The original sculpture interacts with the moving black wall of the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial in Washington, D.C. The soldiers in the statue depict American warriors of the Vietnam War era who watch over the wall, standing vigil and paying tribute to the tens of thousands of names listed on it.
Sculptor Frederick Hart was born in Atlanta in 1943 and died in Baltimore in 1999. He said once that he believed that art must "touch our lives, our fears and cares - evoke our dreams and give hope to the darkness."
The Three Soldiers Monument does just that, as the soldiers appear to be emerging from the darkness into the light. (From: ExploreSouthernHistory.com)
I was deeply moved seeing this in another small American town. The sacrifices our young men and women have given over our history show what we are made of and the sense of pride to serve our country.
Gary, it was great spending time with you, I’m sorry for cutting it short due to mama’s illness but we will do it again soon. I think it is time for a little Gulf fishing in my future. Take care of yourself my friend until the next visit, Traveling Life’s Highways from Apalachicola, Florida.