Gov. Rick Scott, who served in the U.S. Navy, has been making rounds this past week, honoring men and women who served in our armed forces through the years. After handing out Ambassador of Peace Medallions to fifteen Korean War veterans at the Fountain Park veterans memorial, near City Hall in Leesburg, Scott traveled on Monday to one of his favorite places — The Villages.
On stage with the Governor at the museum-like Eisenhower Regional Recreation Center were Col. Peter Kaye, Commandant of the 50th Regiment Support Group of the Florida National Guard; Col. Al Carter (U.S. Army Ret.), Deputy Executive Director, and Lt. Col. Steve Murray (USAF Ret.) Communications Director — both of the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs; and Chaplain Don Doggett, a well known Villages resident.
Scott singled out two Villages residents for special recognition before personally handing out medallions and thanks to nearly 400 veterans , from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and America’s more recent conflicts, for their service to our nation.
Liberty Park Villager, U.S. Air Force Tech. Sergeant Jermaine Troiano, 82, who was accompanied by her husband, Guy, was thrilled to be recognized for her service during the Korean conflict in the 1950s. Gov. Scott mentioned Troiano’s age, saying she enlisted in the military the year he was born — but that she looked to be only about fifty years old. Troiano shot back: “Thanks very much, Governor — but now I have to tell all my friends how old I really am!”
“This is the first time in my life I’ve ever been recognized for anything,” Jermaine Troiano said. “It feels really good!” Troiano was on hand for President Eisenhower’s inaugural parade. “Those were very different times,” she recalled. ” Back then, if a woman enlisted and she wasn’t a nurse, the military didn’t know what to do with her. We used to drop propaganda fliers from hot air balloons — a far cry from today’s warfare. Women didn’t go into combat then, of course — and now the Navy has women commanders and the army and air force have women generals.”
Sgt. Troiano noted her small town birthplace, East Brady, Pennsylvania, about sixty miles from Pittsburg, is becoming something of a tourist attraction and resort of sorts today because Buffalo Bills football great, Jim Kelly, was also born there. Troiano’s husband, Guy, has worked as a supervisor at Eisenhower Regional Recreation Center since its opening in late 2013
Village of McClenny at Fernandina resident, Steve Printz, (Capt. U.S. Navy, Ret.), also received special recognition from Governor Scott for his 22 years of military service. Printz was an officer in the Navy Supply Corps. and was deployed on the destroyer, USS William C. Lawe (DD-763); and two combat store ships: The USS Concord (AFS-5) and the USS San Diego (AFS-6). Steve Printz, who attended the event with his wife, Barbara, continues to serve The Villages as chairman of Community Development District 9, which he helped shape. Earlier this month, Printz also announced his candidacy for the Board of Sumter County Commissioners in the November 2016 election.
Fernandina Villager and veteran, Gene Parent, brought his good friend, Edward Mims, 90, who lives in the Village of Amelia with his wife, Sandi.
“Ed Mims is a true American hero,” Parent said with obvious pride. “He served in World War II with the 8th Air Force in Europe 389 Bombardment Group, 566 Bomber (H) Squadron in Hethel, England. On April 11, 1944, his B-12 Liberator was shot down. He managed to parachute with five others before the plane exploded, with the remaining crew killed in action.”
“Ed Mims spent 17 months as a POW in the Nazi prison camp, Stalag 17b, in Krems, Austria,” Parent continued. “The prisoners there were forced to march to the interior of Germany — some 287 miles in thirty days, across mountainous terrain — and were finally liberated on May 2, 1945.” Hollywood commemorated the heroes of that prison camp with the 1953 movie, Stalag 17, starring Academy Award winner William Holden, Don Taylor and Otto Preminger.
Tech. Sgt. Gary Kadow (USAF Ret.) who currently chairs The Villages Community Development District 5 Board of Supervisors and founded SOS (Support our Servicemen), was honored for his service in Vietnam by the Governor, followed by his friend, Greg Mitchell, who flew Navy helicopters there in 1967- 87.
“There are so many patriotic American servicemen and women here today, with amazing life stories,” Col. Al Carter said from the podium. “There are 13,000 veterans in The Villages. We are grateful on both a National and State level for their service — and are here today to see that they all get the services from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs they deserve.
Gov. Scott paid special tribute to the Vietnam Veterans — forgotten veterans of an unpopular war. “This was about the politicians and not about our brave veterans,” Gov. Scott said, “and we salute you with special thanks on this 50th anniversary of the Vietnam conflict. ”
In August 2014, the Governor handed out gold medallions on red ribbons to hundreds of military veterans at the same Villages locale. He pointed out proudly at that time that Florida is the most veteran-friendly state in our nation, and he wants to help keep it that way.