Alachua County kicked off Veterans Day with a free breakfast for veterans and a community 5K in Veterans Memorial Park. This is the first year the breakfast and 5K were held as part of the celebration, according to Alachua County Veterans Service Officers Director Olajuwon White.
“It's something different that we’re introducing, trying to engage all our veterans and the families and just the community as a whole to make sure that we are coming together to celebrate and honor our veterans,” White said.
Alachua County has hosted its Veterans Day event for at least 30 years, White said.
The breakfast at 7 a.m. was organized by the Gainesville Sunrise Rotary Club and catered by The Bagel Bakery. Bill Menadier, president of the Rotary Club, said his club donated funds for the breakfast after one of the members suggested supporting the Veterans Day event. There was a line at the breakfast table for most of the event.
“It takes a community to support these individuals, and it just feels good if you can find a cause to get behind,” Menadier said.
David Angers organized the inaugural 5K run that began at 8:30 a.m. Angers is a member of the Alachua County Veterans Memorial Committee, which partnered with Alachua County Veterans Service to plan and host the event. He said the committee thought having a 5K would attract more people. About 100 people registered for the race, he said.
The event has attracted 800 to 1,000 people over the past few years, Angers said. The committee is hoping the race will bring the number of attendees up to 2,000.
Colin Miller, a third-year University of Florida Army ROTC cadet won the race with a time of 20 minutes and 21 seconds. Many of his fellow cadets ran the 5K to raise morale and honor veterans, he said.
“We’re all pretty close with a lot of vets, like either in our families or communities,” Miller said. “So it’s just important to show up for the holiday, and you get to have a lot of fun, too.”
Jorge Guadalupe Robles is an Army veteran who served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969. Robles, who attends the event every year, said he was called names and felt “abandoned” when he returned to the United States from Vietnam. Today, he said he feels like veterans are treated well and respected and honored all year.
“The young people should join the military if they can and protect this great country because we live in hard times,” he said.
The formal presentation began at 11 a.m. with an invocation by Chaplain Justin Maynard from the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System Department of Veterans Affairs, who also earned second place in the 5K. He has offered the invocation and benediction at the Veterans Day event for the past five years.
“What an honor it is to lift them up in prayer and also the caregivers, the family members that care for them, and ensure that they continue to have a flourishing life in our community,” Maynard said.
The theme for this year’s event is “The Strength Behind the Service,” which “honors not only those who have served the nation, but also the families, caregivers and loved ones who stand beside them,” according to Alachua County’s website.
Retired Army Col. Perry Clawson spoke during the presentation, as did his wife, Kimberly Clawson, who spoke for veteran caregivers.
“Caregiving is not always easy,” she said. “It takes patience and understanding, awareness, and sometimes putting someone else’s needs ahead of your own. But it comes from love and knowing that the person who served our country deserves care, respect and the support they need when they come home.”
The Lincoln Middle School band performed, and the Milton Lewis Young Marine unit performed the flag ceremony. Other highlights included parachuters, a law enforcement canine demonstration and Veterans Row, during which families are given information about resources or benefits for veterans.
A 1968 Vietnam-era Army Jeep was displayed on Veterans Row. The Jeep is owned by Michael Kelley, who was a staff sergeant in the Army during the Vietnam War. He said it took him two years to restore the vehicle, and everything in it is original. Regularly driving the Jeep keeps it in good condition, he said, so he frequently drives it around town. Next to Kelley’s Jeep was a World War II-era vehicle.
Jason Robinson, chair of the Alachua County Veterans Memorial Committee, said the group is in partnership with Alachua County to maintain the memorial at Veterans Memorial Park.
“The event is planned to be friendly for families,” Robinson said, and that includes inviting and honoring veterans and helping the community “have a good day — a fun day.”