Students visit local Military Heritage Trail

Tessia Brookins
Contributor

On Oct. 29, a group of homeschooled students woke up bright and early (something we are not very used to) and met at the Tallahassee National Cemetery. We met some veterans from American Veterans Post 1776 (AMVETS 1776), who led us on a tour of their Big Bend Military Heritage Trail. The tour was set to take a few hours, and we would go to several war memorials throughout Tallahassee.
The first stop was the Bell Tower in the Tallahassee National Cemetery. The AMVETS explained that they had raised the $100,000 to build the Bell Tower, and it would play the National Anthem every day at 8:30 a.m. Unfortunately, the music system was struck by lightning, so it currently cannot play, but it was still a very cool memorial. The AMVETS explained how the cemetery is organized, the Memorial Day tradition of putting American flags on all of the gravestones, and the Wreaths Across America ceremony in December.
Next, everybody went to the 9/11 Memorial, located in front of the Red Cross building on Easterwood Drive. The site includes a timeline of the events of Sept. 11, 2001, that culminated in the falling of the World Trade Center's twin towers in New York City, which only took 102 minutes. The 9/11 Memorial consists of a metal beam from the South Tower, a list of names of those who died that day with a bell to ring while reading them, and multiple plaques all around it.
After the 9/11 Memorial, the group went to the Korean War Memorial in Cascades Park. There we were taught about the war, the 38th parallel, and the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
Then the group made its way to the Wall of Remembrance, which is a monument to Leon County veterans and which school they attended. These are casualties during our Middle East conflicts, the Persian Gulf War and the War on Terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan. This monument is located in front of the Bloxam Building.
After the Wall of Remembrance, we walked to the Vietnam War Memorial. There we saw the Bracelet, reminding everyone of those we had lost, and the group was told about the significance of the Vietnam War. The names of Floridians lost in Vietnam are on the memorial, as they are on the National Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. We learned that names are still being added as veterans die from war related illnesses. This monument is located across from the Florida Capitol Building on the corner of Monroe Street and Apalachee Parkway.
At the World War II monument at the R.A. Gray Building on South Bronough Street, we learned about the different branches of the military, and how significant this war was. Each county has a marker with an outline of the county and a quote or other significant words. This monument is also styled after the World War II Memorial in the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
After visiting the WWII monument, we went to the American Legion Hall at Lake Ella. We learned that the building is almost 100 years old and hosts many activities for veterans. Outside, we saw the French Borne, a thank you gift from France. It is one of 1,500 that have been spread across the United States. There is a trail of these from France to Belgium every kilometer marking the route of the “Liberty Road” from the invasion of Normandy and liberating France from Nazi occupation.
Our tour along the Big Bend Military Heritage Trail in Tallahassee was very interesting. The docents brought to life the sacrifices the soldiers make to keep us safe here at home. They included Gordon Lightfoot, Commander AMVETS Tallahassee Post 1776, Marine Corps, Sergeant, Vietnam veteran; Butch Topicz; Retired Navy veteran, Sr. Chief ICCS (Communications), Vietnam Era and Cuban Missile Crisis; Earnest Reed, Retired Navy veteran, Sr. Chief Fire Control, Vietnam veteran; John Folsom, Navy, Gunners Mate 3rd Class, Vietnam veteran; Tony Minichiello, USAF, AFC, E-4, Vietnam era veteran; and Henry Lowery, Marine Corps, Chief Warrant Officer 5, Vietnam veteran.
We were their first tour group, and Commander Lightfoot says this program is now ready for more groups to sign up. Visiting the memorials is one way to honor what veterans have done for us, any time of the year. To arrange for a tour, call Commander Lightfoot at (850) 322-6924 or Tony Minichiello at (850) 528-2125.