07.04.19 West Orange Times & Observer

W E ST O RA N G E T I M E S &

Observer Winter Garden, Ocoee, Oakland

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

VOLUME 86, NO. 27

Winter Garden commissioners approve hotel City commissioners also acknowledged the promotion for the first female fire lieutenant.

HANNAH SWAYZE NEWS EDITOR

A few contracts are all that are left to sign before a new boutique hotel in downtown Winter Garden is officially on the way.

At the June 27 City Commission meeting, Winter Garden officials voted to approve the sale of the downtown property at 8 N. Highland Ave. to WGH Property LLC for $1.2 million.

“I think we’ve had six public meetings,” City Manager Mike Bollhoefer said. “We’ve gone over this quite a bit. We’ve had a lot of input on this, (and) we’ve made changes based on that input. We think, the staff SEE HOTEL PAGE 2

YOUR TOWN

FREE

Ocoee adopts dog-dining ordinance. SEE ONLINE. •

THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2019

H H H H H H H H HH

SPIRIT OF

AMERICA H H H H H H H H HH

OUR PRECIOUS FREEDOMS In honor of the Fourth of July, we present our community’s greatest heroes, who served our country proudly in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and elsewhere.

H H H H H H H H HH CAR SHOW HOSTS BACKPACK DRIVE The Winter Garden Police Department received 75 backpacks filled with school supplies. Proceeds from the 50/50 raffles at the quarterly Cruz N’ Car Show in Winter Garden were used to purchase the backpacks and supplies, which cost about $1,500.

“Giving to our kids shows them the community cares and sets them up for a better school year ahead,” said Jennifer Johnston, DJ with WJBJ Cruisin’ with the Classics.

The backpacks will be distributed through the department’s programs.

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THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2019

IN OTHER NEWS

Hotel approved CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

thinks, it’s a great project and it’s great for the City of Winter Garden.”

The developer, JA Hospitality LLC, plans to build a three-story, 45,000-square-foot hotel on the parcel that sits across from City Hall and between the Masonic Lodge and the American Legion Post 63.

The sale agreement included a parking license that reserves up to 60 spaces for hotel valet use within 1,100 feet of the property for a 10-year period. The spaces will be located in the least-used parking area downtown, which is expected to be the top floor of the parking garage.

As the hotel is built, the city plans to also revitalize parking in the downtown area.

The change will entail new signs, a designated valet lot for hotel

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guests and the potential for more than 200 new parking spots.

The commission also approved rezoning requests for the Tucker Oaks development at 15500 W. Colonial Drive and a project to revitalize the historic citrus packing plant on Tildenville School Road.

HISTORY MADE

The City Commission acknowledged the promotions of Shann Cliburn and Kristi Richardson, noting this is the first time in the history of the Winter Garden Fire Department that women are represented at every level, except for the position of fire chief.

Cliburn was promoted to fire lieutenant, making her the first female fire lieutenant in department history. She will be overseeing a shift at Station 23.

Richardson was promoted to fire engineer, a position which will put her behind the wheel of the department’s newest fire truck, Engine 21.

n The commission approved the utilization of Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds of $10,871 to purchase new speed-measurement equipment for the Winter Garden police. n Ordinance 19-31 passed the commission, adding new regulations for golf-course maintenance. n Larry Cappleman, Tara Moore, Don Wingate and Daniel Starks were all approved to serve a second term on the Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board by the Community Redevelopment Agency.

With the new promotions, Winter Garden Fire Chief Matt McGrew said, it’s important for a fire department to be a reflection of the community it serves.

“Diversity is really the value in diversity and understanding that everybody brings value to the table,” McGrew said.

Suspect in Haggins killing arrested Luis Mario Rivera Jr. was found hiding in Connecticut.

AMY QUESINBERRY COMMUNITY EDITOR

Luis Mario Rivera Jr., 20, of Orlando, has been arrested in connection with the murder of Bruce “B.J.” Haggins Jr., 16, of Winter Garden, said Capt. Jason Pearson, of the Winter Garden Police Department.

“He was taken into custody after being located hiding in the basement of a home in New Britain, Connecticut, where he was assisted by extended family and friends in his attempt to elude capture,” Pearson said.

Assisting in the apprehension were members of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the U.S. Marshalls, the Connecticut State Police and the New Britain Police Department.

Rivera was returned to Orange County late Tuesday, June 25, and booked into the Orange County Jail with a no-bond status, Pearson said.

Rivera Jr. has been charged with second-degree murder and several counts of tampering with physical

evidence, Pearson said. The investigation is ongoing.

Haggins was shot and kidnapped Friday, May 31, near Lincoln Terrace and 11th Street in Winter Garden. An AMBER Alert went into effect that same day and remained active until Haggins’ body was discovered buried in a shallow grave in east Orange County on Friday, June 7.

Luis Rivera Sr., 49, was arrested later that day on multiple charges relating to the abduction and killing, including disposing the body and several counts of tampering with evidence.

According to Rivera Sr.’s arrest affidavit, witnesses at the scene said Haggins Jr. and Rivera Jr., met May 31. Haggins Jr. got into a gray Infiniti driven by Rivera Jr., gunshots were fired, and Haggins Jr. appeared slumped over in the car.

Rivera Jr. drove off with Haggins Jr. inside and called his father, Rivera Sr. The Riveras moved Haggins Jr. to another vehicle and drove back to their home in the Wedgefield area, burying him nearby.

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THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2019

BILL MURRAY | U.S. NAVY | WORLD WAR II H H H H H H H H H

Troy Herring

‘The Lord just kept me out of trouble’ AMY QUESINBERRY | COMMUNITY EDITOR

W

illiam “Bill” Murray said he enlisted in the military at age 17 because everyone else his age was doing it in the 1940s. He also wanted to have a choice in what branch

he served in, which was the U.S. Navy.

He was sent to boot camp in Bainbridge, Maryland, and he remembers it was uncomfortably cold — even for a Pennsylvania boy. From there, he was shipped off to serve in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Murray spent 13 months aboard an aircraft carrier in 1943-44. He saw his share of combat.

“But combat for me was not like combat for the troops that were there, the pilots that flew from there,” he said. “We watched them take off in the morning, and then after they went to their combat and whatever they were doing, then they came back. I was a gunner’s mate striker; that meant that I was trying to be a gunner’s mate.

That would be like an apprentice.”

He saw Leyte Bay, in the Philippines; as well as Iwo Jima and Okinawa, Japan, during his stint in the Navy.

He also got his first and only tattoo while “on liberty” for one night. The ship’s cook talked him into getting one, and he settled on the name Margaret — for his

mother and his fiancée back home.

Bill, now 92, wasn’t the only Murray to serve in the Navy. Three of his four brothers were seamen; the fourth joined the U.S. Maritime Service. None of his six sisters served.

When Murray’s service ended, he returned to Pennsylvania and then moved to Ohio. He and Margaret married, and their eightyear union produced two sons and a daughter.

His second marriage, to Alice, lasted 58 years before her cancerrelated death in 2012. They had a son and a daughter, both of whom live in West Orange County.

Murray moved to Central Florida in 1983 and ultimately worked for Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin) as a machine repairman.

Today, he lives in Winter Garden in the Sonata West community, where he is able to live independently.

Murray participated in an Honor Flight June 15, flying with other military veterans to Washington,

OUR PRECIOUS FREEDOMS “The right to choose where we want to live, the right to choose where we want to work, the right to choose whether we want to work or not — as dumb as that seems — it was a freedom that we had and still do. When I see the way the Jews were treated … I’ll tell you, if there was anything that I didn’t want to happen to me, it was that. I just had all kinds of freedom that I knew I wouldn’t have had if we hadn’t have won the war. I was just really happy to be free.”

D.C., to visit the memorials to World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars, Arlington Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

“It was like something I’ve never experienced before,” he said of his first visit to the nation’s capital. “I saw everything that I’ve never seen before, from the beginning of the day until the end.”

Every veteran was paired with a guardian, who served as an escort for the entire daylong trip.

The experience included much fanfare everywhere the veterans went that day.

“What amazed me was, everywhere we went, they had a group of people they would gather up and they would clap for us,” he said.

Before departing Washington D.C., all of the veterans took part in a mail call similar to the ones during the service. Participants received a package of letters, cards and drawings from local schoolchildren addressed to “Our Honored Veteran.”

“To be the recipient (of) an award for that day, or for that time that I spent in the service, as far as I was concerned, the Lord just kept me out of trouble,” Murray said.

As humble as he is, though, he understands the importance of his service.

“The right to choose where we want to live, the right to choose where we want to work, the right to choose whether we want to work or not — as dumb as that seems — it was a freedom that we had and still do,” Murray said.

“When I see the way the Jews were treated … I’ll tell you, if there was anything that I didn’t want to happen to me, it was that,” he said. “I just had all kinds of freedom that I knew I wouldn’t have had if we hadn’t have won the war. I was just really happy to be free.”

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WEST ORANGE TIMES &

GARY ATWILL | U.S. NAVY | VIETNAM WAR H H H H H H H H

Observer “If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.”

Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944 President and CEO / Matt Walsh, mwalsh@yourobserver.com Editor and Publisher / Michael Eng, meng@OrangeObserver.com Managing Editor / Tim Freed, tfreed@OrangeObserver.com Design Editor / Jessica Eng, jeng@OrangeObserver.com Community Editor / Amy Quesinberry, amyq@OrangeObserver.com News Editor / Hannah Swayze, hswayze@OrangeObserver.com Sports Editor /Troy Herring, therring@OrangeObserver.com Associate Editor / Danielle Hendrix, dhendrix@OrangeObserver.com Staff Writer / Eric Gutierrez, egutierrez@OrangeObserver.com

Troy Herring

‘It was the best thing that happened in my life’ DANIELLE HENDRIX | ASSOCIATE EDITOR

I

f you ask Home At Last Chairman Gary Atwill his thoughts on his time in the military, he will tell you this: It was the best decision he ever made. “I just

know it was the best thing I ever did,” he said. “I found out who I was and what I could do and found out what my capabilities were. It set my course in life.”

The Windermere resident, a U.S. Navy Vietnam War veteran, served eight years in the Navy and was deployed twice. The call to serve ran in the family — his father served in the Army, his first father-in-law was in Korea and his wife Jimmie’s father also served — all during World War II. But Atwill’s time with the Navy began out of a desire to find his place in the world.

“I wanted to go into the Navy, because I was sick and tired of digging ditches in the winter, and I wasn’t in school,” Atwill said. “I went down to the Army and applied because my dad was in the Army, and I knew a lot of people that were in the Army.”

After he learned the Army wanted to send him to boot camp at Missouri’s Fort Leonard Wood in the heart of winter, Atwill decided to talk with the Navy instead.

Atwill began his Navy career in January 1964, and for a while, he never looked back.

“The day I went into the Navy, it was the best thing that happened in my life, period,” Atwill said. “They taught me that I was

really good at something and found talents I didn’t even know I had. I look back on it and understand where I got the talents — they made me an electronics technician.”

After boot camp, he was sent to the Naval Air Technical Training Center in Memphis for 42 weeks of electronics school. There, Atwill learned how to maintain and fix various types of USNI anti-submarine warfare (ASW) systems. Upon his graduation he was sent to another technical school in San Diego, where he was assigned to squadron VS-37.

He earned his air-crew wings and was sent back to the squadron, where he worked in fixing electronics.

During Atwill’s first deployment to Vietnam in 1965, he and his squadron were part of a WESTPAC crew. He didn’t know at the time the Vietnam War was bubbling.

“We were doing patrols up and down the coast of Vietnam looking for ships and barges coming down from North Vietnam carrying (weapons) into South Vietnam,” he said. “We’d work with

destroyers and find these guys, because we had a very powerful radar. I operated the radar, and we’d find targets, find out what they were and direct the destroyers if they were carrying weapons.”

During his time as part of the WESTPAC crews, he went to Japan, Iwo Jima and the Philippines. After that first deployment, he got married and came back home until his second WESTPAC deployment in 1967.

“The second (deployment) was different, because I was assigned to a helicopter squadron and given the role of door gunner and manned the M60 machine gun,” he said. “Vietnam was really heating up in 1967. The Air Force would come out and go over the land and do strikes on North Vietnam, and the Navy would do strikes coming in from the ocean. Our job was to stand off in various search zones and pick up personnel from downed planes.”

Atwill has three air medals and received two of them for his specific actions. He received the third for the number of missions he flew with his squadron. Additionally, the squadron received a presidential unit citation and meritorious unit citation. Atwill was aboard the USS Hornet CVS12 for both deployments.

After Atwill’s first four years

in the Navy, he went to school at Southwest Missouri State University and earned a degree in industrial relations and personnel management. He also holds an MBA. In 1972, he returned to the Navy to serve as a naval flight officer for another four years but was not deployed.

Today, Atwill and his wife, Jimmie, live in Windermere, and Atwill serves as the chairman of Home At Last. The nonprofit provides mortgage-free homes to disabled veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.

To him, freedom is precious and something that is fought hard for daily. It means that everyone is free to make his or her own decisions, and that privilege is not something to be taken for granted.

“It’s having the opportunity to be as successful as you can be, and freedom to express yourself,” Atwill said. “It still goes back to the fact that you have the freedom and right to do and achieve the best you can possibly do — there’s no limits on what you can achieve. If you’re willing to work hard, stay the course, willing to work through the problems and live a good life, you can do anything you want to do. The only limits you’ve got is on what you’re willing to try.”

Atwill added that because of the rights Americans have that have been fought for, they can work hard and achieve their goals, as well as express themselves freely. Freedom is not free, he said, and Americans are fortunate to have rights and privileges that those in other countries do not.

“That is what makes us exceptional,” Atwill said.

OUR PRECIOUS FREEDOMS “It still goes back to the fact that you have the freedom and right to do and achieve the best you can possibly do — there’s no limits on what you can achieve.”

Multimedia Advertising Executives / Ann Carpenter, acarpenter@OrangeObserver.com Cyndi Gustafson, advertising@OrangeObserver.com Terri Hope, thope@OrangeObserver.com Creative Services Francesca Davidson-Di Fiore, fbannerman@OrangeObserver.com Advertising Operations Manager / Allison Brunelle, abrunelle@OrangeObserver.com Office Coordinator / Accounting Ashley McWilliams, amcwilliams@OrangeObserver.com

CONTACT US

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The paper can be found in many commercial locations throughout West Orange County and at our office.

If you wish to subscribe, visit our website, OrangeObserver.com, call (407) 656-2121 or visit our office, 661 Garden Commerce Parkway, Suite 180, Winter Garden.

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CITY OF WINTER GARDEN, FLORIDA PUBLIC NOTICE RECREATIONAL USE OF FIREWORKS IS IN VIOLATION OF STATE LAW (FLORIDA STATUTES 791.06, 775.082 and 775.083) AND CITY CODE (Section 50-62).

THESE LAWS WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED LEADING UP TO JULY 4TH AND FOLLOWING JULY 4TH. THE CITY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO STRICTLY ENFORCE THIS LAW ON JULY 4TH DUE TO HEAVY DEMAND. THE FOLLOWING APPLIES ON JULY 4TH:

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THE CITY PROVIDES OUTSTANDING LAW ENFORCEMENT, FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICES THROUGH THE YEAR. HOWEVER, ON JULY 4TH, WHEN READINESS TO RESPOND AND HEAVY DEMAND MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO PROVIDE FOR COMPREHENSIVE AND PROMPT ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAW AGAINST ILLEGAL FIREWORKS, ENFORCEMENT MAY BE INTERMITTENT.

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CLYDE JONES | U.S. NAVY | WORLD WAR II H H H H

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Clyde Jones followed suit, as did his younger brother. “I was just a little boy in Alabama, and you had to wait for

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Years later, he finally was of age.

“The girl in charge of (recruitment) in my town told me to show up, and she said if nobody showed up or didn’t go, I could go, and that’s how I got in,” he said.

Jones served in the Navy Air Corps and later in the Navy Reserves — from 1942 to 1960 — and was stationed in the Pacific Theater of World War II. But before heading west and overseas, Jones attended boot camp at the newly built U.S. Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, in Maryland.

He attended school for radio and communications, as well as an air gunner’s school. Once on the West Coast and on active duty with a squadron, Jones spent most of his time in the air, he said.

Now 96 and living in Sonata West, in Winter Garden, Jones still has the photo of his patrol squadron from his service on the island of Tinian, in the Mariana Islands.

West Orange Chamber of Commerce

Celebrates Business

There, his crew of six patrolled and performed combat operations.

“I experienced a lot of diving down and getting shot at; I got shot at a lot,” he said of his excursions to the edge of Japan. “The plane was hit with small-arms fire but didn’t go down. (There were) a lot of close ones.”

Following World War II, Jones returned to Birmingham, was honorably discharged and signed up for the Navy Reserves. And then the Korean War broke out. He was called up to go to Korea, but that assignment was canceled because there weren’t enough radiomen in the crew to let him go.

After the reserves, Jones moved to Orlando and became a technical writer for Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin).

He and his wife, Myra — who died about 10 years ago after 61 years of marriage — have two sons: Randy, who lives in St. Cloud, and Donald, of Orlando.

TUESDAY NETWORKING GROUP

Held every Tuesday from 8:00-9:00am at Village Inn in Winter Garden. Bonus Networking starts at 7:30am. To find out if there is an opening for your business or to be added to the wait list, please contact Bob Gentile (Bob@NaturalSolutionsLLC.com).

WEDNESDAY NETWORKING GROUP

Held the first and third Wednesdays of the month (except for holidays) from 8:00-9:00am at Fairfield Inn Ocoee. In months with a fifth Wednesday, please visit wochamber.com for meeting location. To find out if there is an opening for your business or to be added to the wait list, please contact Pam Birdsong (pam@ proformaalbrecht.net).

THURSDAY NETWORKING GROUP

Held the 2nd and 4th Thursday (visit wochamber.com for specific dates) from 8:00am - 9:00am at Dr. Phillips YMCA. To find out if there is an opening for your business or to be added to the wait list, please contact Marc Jablon (marc@imaginethatpromo.com).

HORIZON WEST NETWORKING GROUP

Celebrating 5th Anniversary of State Farm Insurance - Jo Barsh Insurance Agency The West Orange Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors celebrated the 5 Year Anniversary of Jo Barsh Insurance Agency, located at 317 West Road, in Ocoee. To learn more, visit www.jobarsh.com.

Celebrating Ribbon Cutting of Warrior One Winter Garden Windermere The West Orange Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors celebrated the Ribbon Cutting of Warrior One Winter Garden Windermere, located 13796 Bridgewater Crossings Blvd, Suite 1040, in Winter Garden. To learn more, visit www.wearewarrioronewgw.com

Celebrating 1st Anniversary of Paradise Barbershop & Spa

The West Orange Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors celebrated the

1 Year Anniversary of Paradise Barbershop & Spa, located 412 Story Rd., in Ocoee. To learn more, call Stefan Salters at (321) 217-8412.

Celebrating Ribbon Cutting of Regal Paint & Decorating

The West Orange Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors celebrated the

Ribbon Cutting of Regal Paint & Decorating, located at 35 South Dillard Street, in Winter Garden. To learn more, visit www.biolifeplasma.com.

Held the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month from 8:00a - 9:00a at Orlando Health Emergency Room and Medical Pavilion - Horizon West, 2nd Floor, Center for Health Improvement. To find out if there is an opening for your business or to be added to the wait list, please contact Tina Zernickow (tzernickow@ axiombanking.com).

GOLF NETWORKING GROUP

Held once a month. This group plays nine holes of golf at MetroWest Golf Club. Check-in time is at 4:45pm, Tee time starts at 5:15pm (visit wochamber.com for specific dates). To find out more information, please contact Tracy Solly (tsolly@wochamber.com).

Celebrating Ribbon Cutting of CannaCare Wellness

The West Orange Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors celebrated the

Ribbon Cutting of CannaCare Wellness, located at 12200 West Colonial Drive, Suite 200 A, in Winter Garden. To learn more, visit www.cannacareW.com.

For more information about joining the West Orange Chamber of Commerce, call 407-656-1304 or visit wochamber.com

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it was,” Jones said, tearing up but smiling.

The police escorts and cheering crowds made the trip even more special, he said.

“The honor I got when we came back in Orlando about 10 o’clock at night,” he said. “We walked in there (at the airport), and there were people in two lines on both sides, and they shook our hands and hugged us. We had a lot of recognition from the time we left there until the time we got back.

The terminal was just lined with people.”

It was an overwhelming experience knowing the people were there because of the sacrifices he and the other Honor Flight veterans had made all those decades ago, he said.

Troy Herring

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OUR PRECIOUS FREEDOMS: “There is

nothing more important than freedom. Freedom is worth sacrifice.”

STARKE LAKE BAPTIST CHURCH PO Box 520, 611 W Ave, Ocoee Pastor Jeff Pritchard (407) 656-2351 www.starkelakebaptist.org

OCOEE CHURCH OF GOD Pastor Thomas Odom 1105 N. Lakewood Avenue, Ocoee 407-656-8011

EPISCOPAL

METHODIST

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 125 N. Lakeview Ave Winter Garden Service Times 9:00 AM and 11:15 AM Phone – 407-656-1135 Web: fumcwg.org

Advertise your Services or Events on this page weekly.

This page appears weekly in the West Orange Times & Observer and online at OrangeObserver.com.

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

CHURCH OF THE MESSIAH 241 N. Main, Winter Garden Services: 8, 9:30, & 11am, 7pm www.churchofthemessiah.com CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION 4950 S. Apopka-Vineland Rd. Orlando Sun.Serv 8:30am, 10:30am, 5:30pm.

407-876-3480 www.ascension-orlando.org

WINDERMERE UNION CHURCH 10710 Park Ridge-Gotha Rd. Windermere, FL 34786 407-876-2112 Worship times: 9:00am Adult Sunday School 10:00am Worship www.windermereunion.org

To advertise in the Church Directory call 407-656-2121 or email AdvertiseNow@OrangeObserver.com

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CHURCH OF GOD

NON-DENOMINATIONAL PURPOSE CHURCH OLANDO 13640 W. Colonial Dr., Ste 110, Winter Garden 407-654-9661 • Prayer 9:30AM, Fellowship 9:45AM, Service 10:05AM

MIKE YOAKUM PASTOR

Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD-the people he has chosen to be his own possession!

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Don accompanied his father on the June 15 Honor Flight, which takes military veterans and a personal guardian on a special oneday trip to Washington, D.C., to visit the war memorials, Arlington Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Jones said the flight and experience were wonderful and well organized — but there was one emotional surprise for which he wasn’t prepared.

Don planned for his uncle — Jones’ younger brother, Ray — to meet them at the World War II Memorial. It had been several years since the two brothers last saw each other.

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THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2019

|

H H H RUSTY JOHNSON | U.S. ARMY H H H GEORGE OLIVER | U.S. NAVY H H H H H RICHARD FIRSTNER | U.S. NAVY H H H H H LARRY BRINSON | U.S. MARINES H H

Troy Herring

‘There’s an invisible tie that binds us together’ Four of Ocoee’s city commissioners — Mayor Rusty Johnson and commissioners Larry Brinson, Richard Firstner and George Oliver — are U.S. military veterans. They bring a unique sense of service to the city’s dais.

OUR PRECIOUS FREEDOMS “We have men and women willing to sacrifice their lives to protect the freedoms of those that they agree or disagree (with). That’s what makes us special (as a country) because we’re willing to put our lives on the line for the sake of freedom.”

— Commissioner George Oliver

ERIC GUTIERREZ | STAFF WRITER

S

erving in the military is answering perhaps the greatest call to service in our country. It’s a decision that comes with great sacrifice but also with the honor of defending the our precious freedoms. And it’s a call to service four members of the

Ocoee City Commission answered.

“Being able to worship the way you want to worship or think the way you want to think … it comes from the freedom that we’ve got in this country,” Mayor Rusty Johnson said. “Freedom, to me, means you can have the ability to enjoy life (and) voice your opinion — whether you like something or don’t like it.” “(Our freedom) makes America the greatest place on Earth,” District 3 Commissioner Richard Firstner said. “We’re allowed to do whatever we want to do in this country, and that’s because our fathers and forefathers have fought for that right and defended that right and died for that right.”

However, the cost is mighty and has been paid for by the many sacrifices of the men and women who have served in the U.S. military, District 1 Commissioner Larry Brinson said.

“Freedom, as most of us understand, is not given — it’s not even rewarded to us,” Brinson said.

“It’s earned by those who are willing to stand there and fight for and defend the rights of all people — regardless of their race, color, creed, ethnic background, religious beliefs or sexual orientation. When you start talking about freedom, understanding which freedom you’re talking about is important, but (what’s) more important, I think, is about who’s willing to fight for those freedoms.”

“We have men and women willing to sacrifice their lives to protect the freedoms of those that they agree or disagree (with),” District 4 Commissioner George Oliver said. “That’s what makes us special (as a country) because we’re willing to put our lives on the line for the sake of freedom.”

RUSTY JOHNSON

Mayor Rusty Johnson served in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1971 during the Vietnam War. He signed up after he learned he was going to be drafted. It was a time in his life when he needed a fresh start, and it also afforded him an opportunity to attain a higher education.

“It was a time when I needed to be regimented,” Johnson said. “It was a good experience for me to get organized and on (a) straight path to doing things I should be

doing. … I probably would have never got to go to college if it wasn’t for that.”

After his military service, Johnson returned home to Ocoee to take care of his son. He later attended Valencia College before going to Florida Technological University, known today as the University of Central Florida.

Although his time serving in the military was over, his life of service to the community had just begun.

“I knew what I wanted to do in Ocoee: I wanted to see Ocoee (remain) a good place to be,” Johnson said. “I knew I needed to devote time to it and help do that, so my life choice was (just that).

I could’ve done a lot of different things, but I wanted to help the city. … (The military) showed me what I could do to have the freedom to do the things that I do, and I wanted to share that.”

OUR PRECIOUS FREEDOMS “Freedom, to me, means you can have the ability to enjoy life (and) voice your opinion — whether you like something or don’t like it.”

— Mayor Rusty Johnson

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LARRY BRINSON

As a child, Brinson was inspired to join the U.S. Marines. He enlisted in 1982 and retired 30 years later.

“It was very rewarding — that’s first and foremost,” Brinson said.

“I got to travel the world, which was amazing. I got to go places where I didn’t even know the names of the places (I was going to) prior to going there, even though they existed.”

Brinson also got a front-row seat to some events in U.S. history. He was in Israel in 1990 — around the time Operation Desert Storm was about to begin. A decade later, he was selected to work at the Pentagon and was a first-hand witness to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. When a plane flew into the Pentagon, he felt the force of the impact as he was knocked to the ground.

“It was pretty exciting to have first-hand experiences (of events) I’m able to now see in the history books,” Brinson said. It’s pretty impressive, for me, that I had done things that are now being taught in schools.”

Although Brinson is retired from the Marines, a new life of service began when he took his seat as a commissioner for the first time in March.

“I feel that now our community needs someone to make the same type of sacrifices in order to make a better way of life for us (in Ocoee), and I’m hoping to help with that,” Brinson said.

RICHARD FIRSTNER

Firstner served in the U.S. Navy from 1971 to 1976 during the Vietnam War. He was active duty for his first two years in the Navy and then served in the Navy Reserves for the remaining years of his service. He was drafted into the

OUR PRECIOUS FREEDOMS “It’s earned by those who are willing to stand there and fight for and defend the rights of all people — regardless of their race, color, creed, ethnic background, religious beliefs or sexual orientation.”

— Commissioner Larry Brinson

military and chose a path that followed in his father’s footsteps.

“Rather than choosing to serve, that was chosen for me,” Firstner said. “I was No. 3 in the selective service draft lottery, but I did get to choose what branch of the military I wanted to go into. And I decided to follow in my father’s footsteps and join the Navy.”

Firstner spent 35 years in public safety after his military career.

He served as a firefighter and as a police officer throughout those years. Of that time, he spent 14 years working with the Ocoee Fire Department, serving nine years as assistant fire chief and five years serving as fire chief, he said.

“As a citizen, one of our duties is to be involved with your community and serve your community,” Firstner said. “I’ve always been a public servant.”

GEORGE OLIVER

Oliver served in the U.S. Navy from 1985 to 1995. He joined the Navy as a young man trying to navigate his way through life, and his service experience helped him with that.

“The Navy allowed me the latitude to be able to establish who I am (and) who I wanted to be, but it was all built on a code of honor, a code of service, (and) a code of servitude,” Oliver said.

“The foundation was laid there

by my parents, of course, but I think the Navy helped allow me to define even more what had been (instilled) in me as a young child.”

Oliver was in Somalia during the events that are portrayed in the book and movie “Black Hawk Down.” He was a legal officer in a construction battalion at the time and was in Mogadishu a few weeks before a Blackhawk helicopter was shot down.

“During that timeframe, we would get a lot of sniper fire daily,” Oliver said. “The Blackhawk went down, and we were on high alert as we brought in more Marines to try to salvage as much as they could from that helicopter because they had a lot of intel on it.”

Like his fellow commissioners, Oliver went on to live a life of community service after his time serving in the military ended. In March 2018, he became the city’s first African American commissioner. “(Military service) allowed me to identify that I wanted to live a life of servitude, even beyond the Navy,” Oliver said.

BOUND THROUGH SERVICE

The bond among veterans is something Johnson, Brinson, Firstner and Oliver share. At times — when they disagree on the dais — they can still look at each other with a mutual respect

knowing they are part of a unique brotherhood.

“We didn’t serve together, we didn’t serve as a unit, we didn’t perform the same job, but we all went through the same thing from the basic training all the way through completing our careers in the military,” Firstner said.

“There is an unspoken bond when I meet another veteran or activeduty member. You just have that feeling because you know you’ve walked down that same path together. It gives you common ground to work from. It helps us in our jobs as commissioners, because we’ve learned to respect what other people think and say and feel, and it allows us to take that into consideration.”

“The military is a brotherhood and a sisterhood,” Brinson said.

“There’s an invisible tie that binds us together, and I think we’re tethered to each other because of some of the things we’ve experienced. … People who were in the military understand there’s a decision-making process … and whether you’ve been in the military for four years or 40 years, that’s drilled into your head: how to make a decision quickly but not hastily.”

That bond among veterans is just one aspect the four men share in common — they also all want what’s best for the city.

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THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2019

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“Now, my job is to keep this (city) moving in the right direction,” Johnson said. “I know sometimes I sound like I’m rough, but the whole thing to me is I love this place, and I want to make sure we do the right stuff.”

“There is a brotherhood (between us),” Oliver said. “We don’t always agree (on the dais) … but we do agree we love this country, we love the state of Florida, and we love Ocoee, and we agree that we want to give our best, give our all, to our city that we’ve been chosen to serve. I believe that we all have that in common beyond our military brotherhood.”

OUR PRECIOUS FREEDOMS “We’re allowed to do whatever we want to do in this country, and that’s because our fathers and forefathers have fought for that right and defended that right and died for that right.”

— Commissioner Richard Firstner

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“It was an interesting experience for me, and I met some nice people,” she said.

She encountered life in the barracks and meals in the mess hall.

“I lived the life of a service person,” she said. “It was very GI; it wasn’t anything fancy at all.”

She considers herself lucky that her barracks roommate didn’t show up, so she had the entire space — albeit small, with only a bunk bed and dresser — to herself.

Following her service, she was honorably discharged and returned to life as normal.

She held secretarial positions throughout her life.

Doss’ first husband, Jack Hopper, also was in the service, and the two dated in high school before getting married and having a son. They both attended a state teachers college, she said, but he was the only one to finish and get a job as a teacher and football coach.

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“I don’t really know why I enlisted,” said the Altoona, Pennsylvania, native. “I just thought it sounded like something interesting to do at that time. I joined the fighting.”

Doss, then 21, was an office secretary, and she was hoping to find something more fascinating than sitting and typing on a manual typewriter all day.

After enlisting, she was sent to Hunter College, in the Bronx, New York, a female college that had been taken over by the Navy as a training facility in both Naval protocol and in their new military jobs. Doss was issued two sets of military uniforms with the Navy insignia.

As a member of the WAVES, she continued her role as secretary, working under three lieutenants in the contract termination division of the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts.

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Doss said she has never taken her freedom for granted.

“Think about what life would be like in other places that don’t have the freedoms that we do to live the life you want to live,” she said. “I can go wherever I want and do whatever I want to do without getting permission to do these things. My life is my own. … I just lived my life, and (there was) nothing put upon me that I couldn’t do. My life was mine to live.”

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KURT GIES | U.S. NAVY | IRAQ WAR H H H H

‘I was living with a purpose’ HANNAH SWAYZE | NEWS EDITOR

K

urt Gies, now 55, served in the U.S. Navy for 25 years. During that time, he spent a total

of only 37 days at sea. “So, I think they’re called boats or ships or something?” Gies said jokingly.

A South Florida native, Gies was commissioned as an officer in 1987, not long after his 18th birthday, beginning a career in the Civil Engineer Corps. An engineer by training, he spent less time on the water and more time building and designing military facilities and overseeing civilians.

One of his biggest projects was the design and build of U.S. Central Command Forward headquarters in Doha, Qatar, a $160 million project, which Gies was called to construct after 9/11.

After 25 years of serving in the U.S. and abroad, Gies retired from the military, but not from service to his people.

Currently, Gies serves as post commander at the Hugh T. Gregory American Legion Post 63 in downtown Winter Garden, work-

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FINDING HIS PLACE

“When I retired in 2007, I didn’t join the legion until 2015,” Gies said. “I had this huge void, and I didn’t know what it was. But it was the lack of comradeship and that being part of a unit. So, when I joined the legion, I was like, ‘This is what I’ve been missing, this is it.’”

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THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2019

13

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million members in the country, works on community, state and national levels to solve veteran issues.

Gies currently lives in Oakland and serves as commander at the post in Winter Garden, which has about 210 members. They serve the community by promoting Americanism and patriotism and by supporting local organizations and individuals working toward similar goals.

Locally, the post works to raise awareness for veterans’ issues, provides scholarships and the assistance of service officers who help local veterans navigate veterans affairs benefits and more.

“The No. 1 thing we do is provide a place for camaraderie, where (veterans) can become part of a unit,” Gies said.

One of the biggest issues today, he said, is the high number of veteran suicides.

“We have 22 vets a day committing suicide,” Gies said. “And that means that there’s been more suicides from post-traumatic stress than all combat-related deaths in the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined. And nobody knows about it.”

Every fall, the post participates in an awareness event called Challenge 22, which is meant to educate the public on the issue.

“There are solutions out there that we are finding every day that are helping, so my passion and my dream is to, basically, as (a) group of veterans, (engage) our community to solve this problem,” Gies said.

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FIGHTING FOR LIBERTY

Gies said he chose to serve because service is in his DNA. He said he chose to serve for freedom and the opportunities America provides, which is what makes it special.

“We have a framework where you can do whatever you want, pray to whoever you want, (be) free to love whoever you want to love and not be told by somebody else how you’re supposed to live your life,” Gies said.

“That (is) why people want to come to America. They come here because they want individual freedom. They want to be able to take care of their families. They want to be able to do what they want to do and have opportunity and I think that’s what separates us from the rest.”

If he had a chance to change anything, Gies said he wouldn’t change a thing in his entire career in the military.

“Each time and place had its pros and cons, but all the decisions I got to make,” he said. “And so, I lived with those decisions and I’m happy with them. ”

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port, and every day the planes would come in and fly right over the house and it was kind of neat, you know, you get used to it,” Gies said. “But, for three days, there was no plane traffic and I remember driving down to the airport and parking my truck underneath their flight line and just ... the quiet.”

His life — along with the lives of many Americans — would never be the same. He knew he’d be called back into active duty, and his personal life was being completely upended between a divorce and being let go from his job.

“So, I’m going through a divorce, our country is under attack, I know I’m about to get recalled, (and) I’m being fired from my job,” Gies said.

“I’m like, (to God), ‘What the heck are you doing to me?’ He was taking everything that was important away from me.

“And I was as low as you can be, but it turned out that was the best thing that could ever happen to me, because when I left I had nothing to hold me back and I could go do my job,” he said.

His job was to build the USCENTCOM Forward Headquarters in Qatar. He had four months and $160 million to build the facilities that would command forces in the Middle East during the war in Iraq.

Gies said he would work 20- to 22-hour days, only catching up on sleep every 10th day or so.

“Really when you’re living on mission … if we failed, people would have died,” he said. “And so, if I had to sleep no hours that day, I did that on several occasions. I just didn’t go to bed. And there were stretches I would go 50 to 60 hours without sleeping because I had a mission I had to get done.”

Gies said while the job was highpressure and fast, he was ready to put in the work.

“I remember looking up at the same sky I was looking up at when I was at the airport and thanking God that I had never been happier in my entire life,” Gies said. “The reason was I was living with a purpose.”

Not long after the invasion into Iraq, Gies was able to return home after serving two years on active duty split between Florida and Qatar.

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2019

ANTHONY ALFIERI | U.S. NAVY | KOREAN WAR H H H H H H H H H

‘I never figured a war would start while I was there’ TIM FREED | MANAGING EDITOR

M

ilitary service was a family affair for the Alfieri brothers.

Anthony Alfieri, a member of the American Legion Post 63 in Winter Garden, served his country in the U.S. Navy

during the Korean War. But he wasn’t the only Alfieri who took to the seas in defense of his nation. His three brothers — Joseph, Ralph and Daniel — all served in the Navy, as well.

Troy Herring

“Keeping in contact made me think more that I’m doing this (for my brothers),” he said. “I hoped that they didn’t have to go. … I would tell them what we’re doing or what could be done or where they might possibly wind up and stuff like that. I was just hoping that by talking to them it would calm the fear in them — ‘This isn’t really that bad.’”

Both younger brothers each put in two years with the Navy.

Looking back, Alfieri believes

STOP by Gail Grabowski; CROSSWORD EIGHT-WAY Edited by David Steinberg

98 Lith. or Ukr., until 1991 99 Protective charm 101 “Our offer ends soon!”

103 Stingray cousin 106 TV maker 107 Milky gem 109 Gifted individuals?

110 Bit of sunshine on a cloudy day?

113 One of baseball’s M&M Boys 115 It may follow a bullet 116 Duck decoy, e.g.

117 Loan shark’s threatening words?

121 List of dishes 122 Sometimes-illegal road maneuver 123 Some craft beers 124 Jackie’s predecessor as first lady 125 Ballpark figs.

126 Sources of down 127 “A ___ coincidence!”

128 Avoid wedding expenses

©2019 Universal Uclick

ACROSS

1 High-rise unit, perhaps 6 Activist Parks 10 Post-workout woes 15 Foolhardy 19 Disney mermaid 20 Provide a fake alibi for, say 21 Cash, slangily 22 Low female voice 23 Flexible fishing rod?

25 Goes from site to site 26 Common central street name 27 Honked, as a horn 28 Political nominee fret-

ting after being chosen?

30 Seats that often swivel 33 In need of a massage 35 Significant amount 36 Admiral and corporal 37 Tank features 39 Pitifully small 41 Swampy ground 42 “Exodus” author Leon 43 Barbecued morsel 45 Bond’s first film foe 46 Wicker chair accessory 50 Obedience school participant 51 Result of eating lemon drops from dawn to dusk?

54 Debt-laden Wall St. deal 55 Hairy disguises 58 Level or bevel 59 Gardener’s bagful 60 Stable newborn 61 Well-groomed 63 Take an educated ___ 66 Short dagger 68 Hermione who married Ron Weasley 71 Fireplace part 73 Jail, slangily 74 Press statements 76 “Pudd’nhead Wilson” author 78 Succotash bean

79 What icons may stand for 80 Hatcher of “Desperate Housewives” 82 Quick haircut 84 Office stamp letters 86 Late architect I.M. 87 Clerk sneaking a look at confidential files?

91 Partakes of 93 Pacific weather phenomena 95 Leader in a burnoose 96 Farm female with curly hair 97 Overrun (with)

DOWN 1 Tourist’s rental 2 Tulsa sch.

3 Calligrapher’s point 4 Targets for collectors 5 Enthusiastic corrida cry 6 Riveted to the TV, say 7 Slender woodwinds 8 On rare occasions 9 Made a fast stop?

10 Kid’s retort 11 Well-mannered 12 “Get Out” genre 13 Small and sprightly 14 Postpaid enc.

15 Widespread 16 Celebrated chef Ducasse 17 Bit of fire fuel 18 Gaggle sounds 24 Spots for speakers 28 Tuckered out 29 Bleak, to Keats 30 Wall frame part 31 Legal thriller writer Scott 32 Authentic “I Like Ike” campaign freebie?

34 Warning of imminent attack

OUR PRECIOUS FREEDOMS “That’s (the) opportunities that we have here. In most countries, if your father is a shoemaker, that’s what you were. You couldn’t move up in anything like you can in this country. … I think in this country, it’s taken for granted, our freedoms.”

38 Riverbed sediment 40 Econ. measure 41 Be under the weather 44 Place with online rants 46 “SNL” features 47 Garden rototiller?

48 Wind down 49 Sorrow 52 Henning of magic 53 114-Down listings 56 Sources of blue eyes, say 57 Multipart account 60 ___ fatale 62 Determine the presence of, as bacteria 64 Wood cutter 65 Legislature member, informally 67 Hibernation spot 68 Concord, for one 69 Fight off 70 Snorkeling spots 72 County Kerry’s land 75 Hindu title of respect 77 Victory goddess 81 Refrigerator conveniences 83 Noises from a litter 85 Willem of “Aquaman” 87 Get-go 88 It’ll never fly 89 JetBlue worker 90 Entertain at bedtime, perhaps 92 Clinches, with “up” 94 Narrow landform 97 Time extension?

99 Increase gradually 100 Steamed cantina dish 102 Remote button103 Icky stuff 104 Toys that go to great heights 105 Contract negotiator 106 Way to go 108 Piece of cake?

111 Product mention 112 Seashore predator 114 Org. with a closing bell 117 Nonstick spray 118 Texter’s “Here’s what I think” 119 Rim of a cup 120 Harper with a Pulitzer

CELEBRITY CIPHER

By Luis Campos Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present.

Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“FMZ UC FLYAZ ZMHUVW ZY RUVG ZDI WYYG UV XIYXKI, FVG TFJUVW ZDI OYMKG F TYMI PYTXFCCUYVFZI XKFPI.” –JIFVA MIIEIC “Z XYZEJ AGZXI CLZFZXGONNR MW URCINW. Z WIIN NZJI Z’U YIFI XM CGLLMFX XYI YGUOE IPMNGXZME.” ONOEZC UMFZCCIXXI Puzzle Two Clue: N equals W

said. “Besides, I love the water. I love the ocean. I figured I’d see more of the world also — I never figured a war would start while I was there.”

Alfieri and his three brothers — as well as his sister, Ruthie — were all close, writing letters to one another. He and his older brother, Joseph, both were called into active duty at the same time. The second-oldest of the four brothers, Alfieri hoped his correspondence put his two younger brothers at ease before they went off to serve their country, as well.

“My other two brothers were still in high school at the time, and as they graduated, we had decided that if we had to go, let’s all go for our country,” Alfieri said. “The military made us stronger, made us better people, I felt, because of the discipline you had to put up with.

Puzzle One Clue: R equals F

Alfieri joined the Navy in 1949 at age 17 with a desire to see other countries. He went to boot camp in Bainbridge, Maryland, and was in the Navy Reserves for about a year before going to active duty.

He spent two-and-a-half years on the USS Bearss DD-654, stationed out of Norfolk, Virginia.

During his time in the Korean War, Anthony and his shipmates were involved in training soldiers in the Marine Corps and Army, establishing beachheads along the North Carolina coast. The ship patrolled all over the Atlantic Ocean, as well — from South America all the way up to Iceland and back down again. “(My mom) taught me to eat sitting down at a table, and she said you should sleep with clean sheets every night — the Navy was about the only one at that time that I could get that,” Alfieri

©2019 NEA, Inc.

SUDOKU

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

©2019 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

7-4-19

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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never made it home,” Alfieri said.

“Some of them did make it home, but they weren’t too well when they got home. I prayed to God every day — and I still do today and thank Him that I did what I did, and I did make it.”

Alfieri also prays that less- fortunate countries he saw during his travels in the Navy someday will enjoy the freedoms that make America so special.

“American freedom means that I’m free to talk about anything — I could talk about the president, bad or good, and nothing is going to happen to me,” he said. “I got the freedom of speech. I got the freedom of religion. I got the freedom to go wherever I want. That’s the freedom that we fought for.”

The Alfieri family is a prime example of America being the land of opportunity, he said. He and his three brothers all went to college, while his sister worked her way up to becoming a successful HR executive for the Sony Corporation without a degree. “(My brothers) were all educated — we all had college degrees, even though we all paid for them ourselves, because our parents didn’t have any money,” Alfieri said. “We were the first generation over in this country — my parents came from Italy when they were small and then grew up here.

“That’s (the) opportunities that we have here,” he said. “In most countries, if your father is a shoemaker, that’s what you were. You couldn’t move up in anything like you can in this country. … I think in this country it’s taken for granted, our freedoms.”

15

THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2019

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the draft should never have stopped, adding that everyone should give one or two years back to their country before getting free college tuition.

“Our country would be a little stronger if everyone went in and did their time — there would be better people in this world, maybe,” Alfieri said. “I think everyone would be on the same page, where they would respect the country they’re living in because of what they got from it, and respect everyone in the country because of who they are.”

Alfieri’s time in the Navy ultimately set the stage for his 26-year career in teaching elementary children. He taught fourth- and fifth-graders at the Carpenter School in Old Bridge, New Jersey, after getting his degree in teaching 15 years after graduating high school.

“I felt by being in the service, when I come home, I could try to help some people doing things right here in the United States right up in Jersey where I lived,” he said. “I did, I think — I hope I did, anyway. “(I) was teaching kids who needed help,” he said. “Some of them didn’t have two parents.

Some of them did, but some of the parents worked two jobs, and when they come home at night, they’re too tired to help the child with their work. I would stay after school many days and help.”

Alfieri said he’s thankful to have served his country and made it home — some friends that he knew weren’t so lucky.

“The only thing I did was pray to God every day that I made it back home, because I did have a few boys that did go over to Korea who I grew up with and went in around the same time as I did and they

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16

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2019

SCOTT GRATION | U.S. AIR FORCE | IRAQ H H H H H H H H H

‘I pray that they’ll never take it for granted’ TIM FREED | MANAGING EDITOR

T

wo cultures collide at the home of Winter Garden resident and veteran Scott Gration. African wood carvings and artwork catch the eye in the living

room and bedrooms, while an American flag flaps in the wind atop a flagpole in the front yard.

A home office is filled with countless trinkets of U.S. military service and photos of Gration beside every president from Richard Nixon to Barack Obama — while the retired U.S. Air Force veteran also converses with his wife, Judy, in Swahili.

It’s a blend of two nations that Gration has called home — and it gives him a different perspective when he thinks about the freedoms Americans enjoy, he said.

Growing up in Africa, Gration saw what life was like in a country without freedom of speech or freedom of the press — a place where expressing a viewpoint could land you in jail or get you killed, he said.

“Nobody can take away your freedom in America, but I’m afraid that sometimes we take these things for granted,” he said.

Gration was born in St. Charles, Illinois, but his parents moved the family in 1953 to Congo, Africa, to do missionary work. Gration learned Swahili as his first language and came to know Africa as home. However, his family was forced to evacuate from Congo multiple times because of increasing violence. In 1964, the family evacuated from Congo for the last time and crossed the border into Uganda; Gration’s parents chose to teach in Kenya from 1964 to 1967.

“We got out with just the clothes on our back,” Gration said.

“But it showed me a couple things.

Nobody can take what’s in your head — so education becomes important. And nobody can take what’s in your heart. … Nobody can take your belief about your country. Nobody can take your integrity.

“That’s why it’s so important to me to instill in my family the freedom, the feeling of patriotism, of Americanism and a respect for this

country. I pray that they’ll never take it for granted.”

Gration came back to the United States as a senior in high school in the late 1960s. With a low draft number during the Vietnam War, Gration joined the U.S. Air Force and went into active duty in 1974, getting his flight training before becoming a flight instructor.

Gration grew a strong appreciation and respect for American freedoms and was glad to serve his country — despite some early opposition.

“It was sort of a rocky start, because of the anti-Vietnam protests on college campuses,” Gration said. “You sort of had to want to do it, because the environment wasn’t real pro-military at that time.”

Gration joined the military for four years to fulfill his commitment, but the people he met and the opportunity to fly fighters kept him in the service — he couldn’t walk away from protecting America’s freedoms.

“I ended up falling in love with it,” Gration said. “Growing up in Africa, I had always seen America as a far-off place where you had freedom, where you had liberty and values. I had been a refugee — I had everything taken from our family. I lived through that and had seen where the rule of law didn’t exist.

“The flag always meant something special to me — it wasn’t just a piece of cloth with red, white and blue colors and shapes — it really stood for something,” he said.

Gration enjoyed a 32-year career with the U.S. Air Force, working his way up to major general. From 1991 to 1998, Gration was a part of 274 combat missions flying over Iraq.

“When you go into combat with four other fighter pilots, you

Tim Freed

know that they’ll give their lives to save you the same way you’d do the same for them,” Gration said.

“The camaraderie of a squadron, of a flight, was so strong. I really became attached to what I was doing — in more than it’s a job, it was a way of life.”

Gration turned his focus to politics and diplomacy after his career in the military. He served as a member of the presidential transition team under Obama, U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan and the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya.

After spending his life serving his country as both a pilot and a diplomat, Gration’s work isn’t finished. He hopes to support local veterans through an initiative in its early planning stages — encouraging veteran-friendly communities through discounts at local businesses, funding for counseling and other ways of honoring those who have served in the military. He’s already met with the city of Winter Garden about the idea.

“We lose 22 veterans a day in suicides — (more than) 6,000 veterans take their own lives a year,” Gration said. “A lot of it is because

they’ve been part of this inclusive unit that I just talked about — this sense of camaraderie — and now they go out and they feel isolated.

They don’t feel connected and sometimes don’t feel respected, and they sometimes suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

“What we’re trying to do in Winter Garden is get all the community behind us and get all the businesses behind us to recognize our veterans, to employ them (and) to help them feel recognized,” he said.

Gration said he is proud to have served his country and to be a part of something far greater than himself. He has come close to death multiple times in his work serving the country — from the numerous combat missions in the Middle East to surviving the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia and the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon.

Every bit of his service to his country was worth it, he said.

“To be part of the legacy, to be part of the history and to be a continuation of what brave young men and women gave to our country — right back from the beginning — to

be part of that lineage, I took great pride in the history,” Gration said.

That legacy of service runs in the family. Gration’s grandfather fought in World War I, while his father served in the Navy during World War II. Beyond his own service, Gration has watched his son, son-in-law and daughter-inlaw embark on military careers in the Air Force, Army and National Guard.

An unbreakable chain of service and sacrifice persists throughout history — and the Gration family is right in the midst of it.

“It’s just nice to know that the generation continues,” Gration said.

“It’s been an honor to pass this wonderful thing — the preservation of freedom, because freedom’s not free — to the next generation, and I’m confident that they’re going to pick up the banner and take off just the same way that I did,” Gration said. “It’s really an honor to be part of this chain that has been unbroken since the founding of our country.”

OUR PRECIOUS FREEDOMS “It’s been an honor to pass this wonderful thing — the preservation of freedom, because freedom’s not free — to the next generation, and I’m confident that they’re going

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CHARLES EDWARD BROWN DIED SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 2019.

Charles Edward Brown, 85, of Oakland, Florida, died Sunday, June 23, 2019. He was born in Highsplint, Kentucky, on March 4, 1934, to parents Oscar and Juanita Brown.

Charlie was raised in Harlan County and attended Evarts High School in Evarts, Kentucky.

He continued his education at Eastern Kentucky University and graduated in 1957.

Charlie married his college sweetheart, Freda Smith, in 1956.

In 1957, they moved to Florida, where he began a 34-year career working for Martin Marietta in the design prototype lab.

While raising his family, he lived in the Pine Hills area for 27 years, coached youth sports and was always willing to lend a helping hand to friends and neighbors.

He was an active member of Powers Drive Baptist Church for over 50 years.

After retirement, he moved to Oakland, Florida, and lived there for the past 20 years.

Charlie loved their weekend getaway home in Fowler’s Bluff, Florida. He loved boating on the Suwannee River, where he enter-

tained family and friends for the past 40 years.

Charlie also enjoyed his Thursday morning men’s Bible study group. He was a member of Masonic Lodge No. 239 and was also a Shriner.

Charlie was a tireless worker and a loyal friend. He was a good son, loved his wife and was a dedicated father. He treasured his children and embraced every moment with them. He especially loved his role as “Grandad.”

Charlie was everyone’s friend and could fix just about anything.

He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Freda Smith Brown; children, Teresa (Craig) Maloy, Pamela (David) Massengale and Tim Brown; grandchildren, Joshua (Kaley) Maloy, Megan (Travis) Guida, Paige and Davis Massengale, Austin and Preston Brown; and two greatgrandchildren, Wyatt Guida and Barrett Maloy.

A service was held Thursday, June 27, 2019, at Loomis Funeral Home, with Dr. Gerald Hicks officiating. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Shriner’s Children Hospital.

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THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2019

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James Aubrey Strickland 77, of Ocoee, Florida, passed away Saturday, June 15, 2019, surrounded by family. He was born May 5, 1942, in Enterprise, Alabama.

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Thursday, July 4, 2019

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LV16621

West Orange Times & Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or to reject or cancel an advertisement at any time. Corrections after first insertion only. *All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher. *It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in West Orange Times & Observer to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with town codes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property.

Puzzle Two Solution: “I think quite spiritually of myself. I feel like I’m here to support the human evolution.”

– Alanis Morissette ©2019 NEA, Inc.

This week’s Sudoku answers This week’s Crossword answers

This week’s Sudoku answers

Fast Easy Certification Call now for your FREE pre-evaluation by phone 310354

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310350

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©2019 NEA, Inc.

FREE MARIJUANA DELIVERY 310351

2019

This week’s Crossword answers

Delivered directly to your home or business

We provide Medical Marijuana in a variety of forms such as tinctures, pills, pain patches, vapes, concentrates, buds, vape shatter pills, dry flower & much more!

This week’s Crossword answers

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AUTO SERVICE

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2019

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Richard Hudson • Reggie Hudson

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Reach Over 37,000 Readers Each Week!

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• Quality • Service • Sales • Installation • Commercial • Residential

|

THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2019 19 OrangeObserver.com

HERE’S MY CARD - BUSINESS DIRECTORY PET SERVICES

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THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2019

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HomeRebateRealty.com

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311868

OrangeObserver.com 2 WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

Broker

GET YOUR NAME 271 Maguire Rd Ocoee FL 34761

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sunbeltrentals.com

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FLOORING

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$...

TFN

ET RP From CA talled

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y Full

1045 S. Vineland Rd. ment • New and Used Tires • Align • Complete Auto Repair • A/C Serv. & More

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OPERATED –

.6268 407.296.9622 407.877 .rr.com

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Estimates

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- 5PM

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ww w.b udg etu pul lit. com

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See store for details

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emiumShutters.com 407-415-7185 • OrlandoPr

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MADE IN THE USA

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FLOORING T E • WAT E R P R O O F CARPET • LAMINA

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PEST CONTROL

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TFN

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/ sq . ft.

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In House Towing Available

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BMW

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$

...

Ins

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Fully Installed From...

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LV11098

ESS DIRECTORY

- BUSIN HERE’S MY CARD

301035

OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

301014

WEST ORANGE TIMES &

THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019

298995

22

|

Color included on all ads!

Publishes every thursday, and deadlines Friday the week prior.

West Orange Times 10.375 wide by 8 high WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2019

Happy Birthday America!

Celebrate this Independence Day by upgrading to a Natural Gas Grill. Natrual Gas grills have no ashes to clean and you’ll never have to refill a tank.

Efficient, reliable natural gas always ready for your backyard party!

GET REBATES BACK WITH NATURAL GAS APPLIANCES.

switch

replace

Water Heater (tank/tankless)

$300

$100

Furnace

$300

$300

Range

$100

$100

Clothes Dryer

$100

$100

**rebates are offered as an account credit.**

HAPPINESS is here

312115-1

Call 407.656.2734 or visit www.LANGD.org to get started.

Natural gas can enhance your home in ways that may surprise you. Give us a call today at 407-656-2734 ext. 307 or email us at marketing@langd.org for further details.

At The Sheridan we believe in celebrations, smiles and happiness. From happy hours to monthly theme parties to Brain Health University, our award-winning programs are focused on happiness and well-being.

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Happy Hour EVERY THURSDAY IN JULY 4:00PM TO 5:00PM CALL 407-413-8650 TO RSVP OR TO LEARN MORE

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THE SHERIDAN ASSISTED LIVING | MEMORY CARE 13798 SPEER ISLAND DRIVE WINDERMERE, FL 34786 SHERIDANWINDERMERE.COM Assisted Living Facility License #13029

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