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COVER PHOTO: Sons of Union Veterans Commander Tim Campaign speaks at a recent event.
Brotherhood of Heroes Museum Offers Glimpse into Past
By CASEY SHEPHERD For Veterans Salute
The sign that greets visitors to the Brotherhood of Heroes Resource Center and Museum.
Brotherhood of Heroes Resource Center & Museum does double duty: It serves those who served their county and it remembers the sacrifices they made.
The museum features galleries from the Revolutionary War through the modern era. The curator is Sonia Raymond and she has been working there for five years.
Visitors are greeted in the lobby by a gallery of Purple Heart recipients which wraps around a corner of the lobby near the museum entrance.
The museum features galleries from the Revolutionary War through the modern era.
Once in the museum, prominent local figures are featured in the form of members of the Twiggs-Myers family, which became the namesake for Fort Myers.
After this is the World War I exhibit. One of the centerpieces of this exhibit is an array of original photos and signatures from the leaders of all countries involved in World War I. Also featured is a cardboard replica of the USS Nimitz, a Navy aircraft carrier which was laid down in 1972.
Moving forward from the Nimitz is the World War II exhibit and a Holocaust exhibit. The exhibit features a recreation of the infamous concentration camp gates with the saying “Arbeit macht frei,” which translates to “work sets you free.”
The gallery includes various Nazi badges, medals, and photos.
The museum then showcases a pair of local and historic military places, Buckingham and Page Airfield. Each served as a training ground for airmen in World War II.
The Holocaust exhibit at Brotherhood of Heroes Museum.
If you go…
What:
The Brotherhood of Heroes Resource Center & Museum.
Where:
4522 Del Prado Boulevard S., Cape Coral
Hours:
Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.
More info:
Visit thebrotherhoodofheroes.com.
Past the airfield spotlight is a full-sized Army Jeep which points visitors towards an exhibit showcasing women in the military.
This is Raymond’s favorite exhibit.
“These women were incredible, they were nurses, and pilots and all sorts of incredible things and they don’t get enough attention,” Raymond said “As I walk through the Rosie the Riveters and the Holocaust survivors, and I just wish people would come and see for themselves.”
The museum gallery then concludes with a section on the Vietnam War. It features weapons of the conflict as well as one of the most unassuming tools of the Vietnam War – Silly String. The kid’s toy was used to detect trip wires as soldiers made their way through the thick jungles.
Raymond encourages everyone to come and enjoy the rich learning opportunities the museum has to offer to all ages.
“It’s history and you can see the actual artifacts from that time period,” Raymond said. “I think children should come to see the museum.”
A World War II-era Army Jeep.
Women’s volunteer group from World War I.
Photos by Casey Shepherd
Civil War Ancestors Find Camaraderie Within the Sons of Union Veterans
By CASEY SHEPHERD • For Veterans Salute
Many Americans are proud of their ancestry, most being able to trace family trees back to a certain country, a certain event or an important figure. However, those who are a part of Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War’s Florida Department have something extra of which to be proud.
“My Civil War ancestor Charles D. Bovee, who I’m very proud of, was with the 16th Pennsylvania Cavalry, and he served with Phil Sheridan, who was a big name in the civil war,” said Harry “Jack” Bovee, a Naples resident
and retired history teacher.
Philip Sheridan was an Union commanding general who defeated the Confederates in Shenandoah and pursued Gen. Robert E. Lee, leading to his surrender, ending the Civil War.
The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is a fraternal group for those who can trace their lineage back to a Union veteran, however, those who do not have Union soldier ancestry can also join as an associate member.
SUVCW members pay tribute to Union veterans with a black powder rifle salute.
The group gathered on Feb. 28 and March 1 to commemorate the 160th anniversary of the Battle of Fort Myers as well as to honor a fallen member of the SUVCW, Sgt. Michael Urell, Sr., who died on Feb. 24The group also honored Union Army veteran, Dr. John W. Wall, who is buried at Fort Myers cemetery. The group met at the IMAG History and Science Center where they held a meeting and luncheon.
“Michael Urell passed away just a few days ago, and we have a missing man table set up here to honor him,” Dr. Timothy Campaign said. He is the commander of the Florida Department of SUVCW. Urell also served as a previous Florida Department commander and was a long-time SUVCW member.
For members of SUVCW, having an ancestor who fought in the Civil War is both an honor and motivation.
“To be able to go out and tell other people that I had an ancestor who was a slave but then he was freed and he fought to free others, well, it tells me that I can do nothing less,” said Richard Wilder, president of the Florida Buffalo Soldiers motorcycle club and Color Bearer for the Florida Department of SUVCW.
When Wilder discovered he had Civil War ancestry, he joined the SUVCW. His ancestor, Asa Sanderlin, was a freed slave who fought in the Union Navy on the gunboat USS Miami. Wilder is still working with SUVCW to find out exactly how his ancestor was freed from slavery.
“There was so much pride instilled in me because I lecture and talk about the Civil War and the period after. But to know that I have a relative who actually fought, I can’t really express more than a sense of great pride,” Wilder said.
For some, such as Naples resident Harry “Jack” Bovee, being a member of SUVCW fulfills a patriotic duty.
“I never had the honor of serving my country, I still feel a little guilty and tried to get into the Peace Corps but I married young so they didn’t take me,” Bovee said.
Bovee found his purpose after joining SUVCW and urges others to get involved. He is in charge of the group’s many outreach programs, including those that work with ROTC, JROTC, and Scouts. SUVCW works with these young adults by awarding pins, patches, and scholarships.
Bovee also believes there are lessons that can be learned and warnings to be heeded from the Civil War.
“We have more that unites us than divides us, I think one of the most important parts of the Civil War was the reunification process,” Bovee said
The reunification, also known as the reconstruction period, was the period after the Civil War when southern states that had seceded were brought back into the United States of America.
“We look at the Civil War as the crucible by which this country was shaped, and we owe much of today’s freedoms to the Civil War generation,” Bovee said.
Members of the SUVCW listen to Commander Tim Campaign during a recent meeting.
Missing man table dedicated to late SUVCW member Michael Urell Sr.
The Battle of Fort Myers: Slaves Fighting for Their Freedom
By MARK BARIE For Veterans Salute
The 160th anniversary of the Battle of Fort Myers was marked on Feb. 20, 2025.
This little-known skirmish, lacking in military significance, is the southernmost land battle of the Civil War. Although abandoned in 1858 after the Third Seminole war, the fort was reactivated by the Union Army in December of 1863. Cattle ranchers in the area were regularly supplying thousands of pounds of beef each month to the Confederate Army in Tennessee. Union commanders wanted to put an end to it. An opposing army with nothing to eat is a losing army.
Historian Irving Solomon, writing in the Florida Historical Quarterly, argues that the Union had something else in mind when they decided to sever the Confederate supply lines. The newly garrisoned fort was manned with several companies of former slaves.
Thanks to Abraham Lincoln’s January 1863 emancipation of all slaves in enemy territory, southern Florida quickly became ground zero for freed slaves and Union sympathizers living in the south. The psychological effect of former slaves, fully armed, and fighting for the North, triggered anger, humiliation, and even fear in the Confederate ranks. The
South already knew it was losing the war. Former slaves, fighting alongside the Blue Coats, were salt in the wound.
Confederate commanders made it their mission to capture the fort and put an end to the havoc wreaked by Union forces in southern Florida. Union soldiers were now regularly plundering southern plantations, freeing the slaves and destroying the property of Confederate sympathizers. And they stole the beef that was destined for Confederate mouths.
In early 1865, the Confederates formed the “Cow Calvary,” a quasi-guerilla vigilante designed to stop the marauding soldiers from the North. It would all come to a head in May of 1865. Fort Myers, now garrisoned with 250 soldiers, many of them African American, was ill-prepared for an attack by numerically superior forces. In the lead up to the battle, several of the all-black companies in the 2nd United States Colored Troops (USCT) Regiment, were exhausted because of a series of skirmishes in the region which ended just two days before the Confederate attack. They were also dangerously low on ammunition and muskets. Two companies totaling more than 180 men had 75 serviceable muskets and fewer than 30 rounds apiece.
Despite heavy rain, a force of 275 Confederate soldiers approached Fort Myers on Feb. 20, 1865. Inside the bastion, the soldiers, many of them black, were not anticipating an attack. In fact, a half dozen of their comrades were outside the walls, on a laundry detail, when they encountered the Rebels. The gunfire that followed was the miraculous warning that the Union soldiers required. The rebels fired their single large cannon. The Blue Coats rolled their two brass six-pound cannons into firing position, just outside the walls. A forward skirmish line, also outside of the fort, was established by one of the all-black companies. The fierce battle would last for 11 hours.
According to a NY Times report, the former slaves “could hardly be restrained”…they “seemed totally unconscious of danger”…and “constantly shouted to each other to get them.”
battle of the Civil War was over. When it ended, 40 Confederate soldiers were dead. The Union Army suffered less than a half-dozen casualties.
A month later, despite the stunning bravery of its defenders, the fort was abandoned by both sides. The American flag would fly over Tallahassee in a matter of weeks. Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9, 1865.
Dozens of freed slaves risked life and limb to free their enslaved brothers.
By nightfall, the Rebels called it quits and left the scene. The Union Army declared victory and the southernmost mainland
Today, 160 years later, the Fort has disappeared; replaced by one of those ubiquitous blue historical markers with the yellow wording. You will find it on the corner of First Street and Vivas Court in downtown Fort Myers. A pitifully inadequate reminder that that one day, a long time ago, dozens of freed slaves risked life and limb to free their enslaved brothers.
Mark Barie is the Patriotic Instructor of the Col. Robert W. Barnard Camp No. 2 of the Department of Florida Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War in Fort Myers and an award-winning author of five novels on love and war.
Korean, Vietnam War Veterans Feted Through “Honor” Programs
By CASEY SHEPHERD For Veterans Salute
More than 80 Korea and Vietnam war veterans from southwest Florida made the trip to Washington, D.C., recently to visit national landmarks.
A second contingent, not able to make the two-hour flight to Washington, also took part in the Honor Flight program.
Collier Honor Flight founder Debi Lux realized that due to advanced age and other reasons, not everyone could make the flight, but she wanted to make the experience accessible to all of the vets nonetheless.
“What we found is we have some of our veterans who simply can’t fly. They might have sundowner syndrome, you know, dementia, physically just couldn’t handle a full day, and we didn’t want to leave them behind,” Lux said.
Lux’s solution to the problem? Bring Washington to the Southwest Florida International Airport.
“The concept was to do exactly what we do on a flight, making sure we honor them. Do the secret stuff that we do. We feed them. They have a guardian. And then the beauty of it is they go through the welcome home line with everybody else, so they’re honored with that great, huge welcome home,” Lux said.
The event known as Honor at Home started with a welcome salute from a combined group of JROTC Cadets from local high schools.
“They go through the welcome home line with everybody else.”
The veterans then made their way up to a RSW conference room where they were treated to a flag ceremony, and a pinning ceremony where those who served between the years 1955 and 1975 were recognized.
Dinner was provided by Mission BBQ and, while the veterans enjoyed their meal, their virtual trip to Washington, D.C, began. Clips of previous honor flights of previous years arriving in Washington played and were followed by comprehensive footage of all the national monuments they would have seen in person.
After the virtual trip came to an end, the Honor at Home veterans received the same welcome back as the veterans who went to D.C. in person.
Hundreds of Southwest Florida residents lined the RSW concourse with signs and flags
to welcome the Honor Flight and Honor at Home participants back.
“There’s some 100 people (here) that we owe a debt of gratitude to, not just today, every day you wake up, politics aside, throw it away. Throw the right, throw the left away. How about the people that fought for you to say that that’s what it’s all about,” Peter Aquegge, a Cape Coral resident said.
The greeting for the veterans was overwhelming for most, with many becoming visibly emotional.
“I’m totally overwhelmed. And my guardian here told me that it was going to be overwhelming and I was gonna cry, and I thought she was full of crap, but I really did,” said Peter Nicholsen, a United States Marine veteran.
Photo by Anthony Zollo
A local veteran from the Honor at Home program shakes the hand of a young boy in the terminal of the Southwest Florida Interna-tional Airport in Fort Myers.
Naples Young Marines
Visit Hawaii to Mark Pearl Harbor Anniversary
The Naples Young Marines was one of 35 units throughout the United States to travel to Hawaii in December to participate in the remembrance ceremonies of the 83rd anniversary of Pearl Harbor.
“We are excited to announce that 35 Young Marines units attended the 2024 Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremonies this year.” said Col. William P. Davis USMC (Ret), national executive director and CEO of the Young Marines. “The Naples Young Marines and all the units work very hard to raise funds and complete community service projects throughout the year in order to travel to
Hawaii for this experience. This year’s events gave each and every Young Marine important memories to cherish as they actively participated in the remembrance events, met and listened to veterans tell their stories, and memorialized veterans who are no longer with us.”
The Young Marines is a national youth organization for boys and girls from age eight through high school graduation.
The Pearl Harbor trip provided an opportunity for Young Marine units to enrich experiences for the youth outside their usual training environments.
“The historical impact, education, and adventure opportunities offered on the island of Oahu will be defining moments that inspire and shape their lives. Our Young Marines also pledge to live a healthy, drug-free lifestyle when they take their oath to become a Young Marine,” organizers said.
Among the events in which the Naples Young Marines participated were:
• Community service beach clean-up on Marine Corps Base Hawaii Kaneohe Bay;
• Wreath laying ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in memory of all the brave men and women who are interred at the site;
• Klipper Ceremony, Marine Corps Base Hawaii;
• Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade, Honolulu. A significant honor for all the Young Marine units was to lead the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade, held Dec. 7 in Honolulu. Young Marines performed a color guard and carried the banners of the 12 capital ships that were attacked. They also assisted with many of the floats in the parade. The parade’s objective is to honor the
heroes and survivors of Pearl Harbor and World War II, to pay tribute to veterans, active-duty military members and military families, to celebrate freedom and to keep in remembrance the heinous events of Sunday, December 7, 1941.
Young Marines units raised funds at the local level to supplement the costs of traveling to Hawaii. These youth members used their creativity, and applied the program’s core values – leadership, teamwork and self-discipline – to implement unique and effective fundraising efforts to attend this educational and patriotic event.
Young Marines History
Since the Young Marines’ humble beginnings in 1959 with one unit and a handful of boys, the organization has grown to over 200 units with over 5,000 youth and 1,950 adult volunteers in 40 states, the District of Columbia, Japan (Okinawa), and affiliates in a host of other countries.
For more information, visit the website at www. YoungMarines.org.
Young Marine units led the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade.
