Two monuments honoring American veterans were dedicated by local chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution this week at the Florida National Cemetery.
The John Bartram Chapter of The Villages along with the Lake-Sumter Regents Council of DAR chapters sponsored the implementation of the Honoring Our First Patriots Monument and the Braille Flag Monument, respectively.
The former is a Revolutionary War monument that features America’s fight for independence etched into black granite with a side panel image of “Forgotten Patriots.” The latter has the Pledge of Allegiance embedded in the flag’s stripes so visually impaired veterans can feel and ultimately “see” the flag they love and serve.
“From the first Greatest Generation to the last, we honor you, we care about you, and during my administration, we hope to continue to make a difference in veterans’ lives,” said Cynthia Addison, state regent for the Florida State Society DAR and keynote speaker at the dedication.
DAR chapter members from Mary Ellen Robertson in Leesburg, Ocklawaha in Mt. Dora, Puc Puggy and John Bartram in The Villages, Tomoka in Clermont and the disbanded Bertha Hereford Hall unveiled the Patriots Monument.
Also aiding in that effort was decorated Marine veteran of the conflicts in the Middle East, Dex Conrad. While he is now the vice president of Cole Engineering Services, Inc., in Orlando, he was also a major donor to the project. His son Dominic designed the collage featured on the monument.
“We’re very vocal in the community for veteran organizations,” said Dex. “Of course we wanted to support.”
The unveiling of the Flag Monument involved the president of the American Braille Flag Project and retired Staff Sergeant Walter Peters. During his time in the service, Peters served in Vietnam and was exposed to the chemical Agent Orange. He has since lost some of his eyesight and can only see silhouettes.
Peters, Addison and Claudia Jacques, a member of the John Bartram Chapter and two-year project chair, revealed a temporary monument designed by Bryan Stephanson Southern Monument Studio, Inc., due to the permanent piece not arriving in time for the ceremony. Once it arrives, the two monuments will be a matching pair facing each other in the cemetery.
“The American Braille Flag is something that we are going to push to get in every cemetery,” said Peters upon its reveal.
This was not the first time the DAR experienced setbacks in the dedication of the monuments. The Flag Monument was first proposed in 2019 by the John Bartram Chapter. Its design and placement were approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Society DAR in 2020. However, the dedication was postponed due to Covid restrictions and other cemetery issues.
In 2022, the same chapter proposed the Patriots Monument. Research began as they worked to find Revolutionary War gravesites of which there are few in Florida. Still, the group found two cenotaph headstones of Private Benjamin Latimer of the Maryland Militia and Sergeant Benjamin Shirley of the Continental Army. These were approved by the aforementioned organizations, and the dedication for both monuments was set in motion.
“The Florida Daughters of the American Revolution will never forget our fallen,” said Addison.
Other special guests in attendance included Irving Locker, a 99-year-old World War II veteran, and Cindy Brown, the community relations representative for Congressman Daniel Webster.
