You may have seen a man marching through The Villages adorned in red,white and blue while holding aloft a large American flag and smaller POW/MIA flag.
The Flag carrier is Joe Placente of Toms River, N.J. A Korean War vet in his 80s, he has been marching through the United States since 2002 to show support for the military and his fellow veterans.
He decided to take on this patriotic journey in response to terrorism.
“I tried to join up again but they would not take me because I was too old,” said Placente. “Then I remembered the way I felt when I returned from Korea and the terrible way the Vietnam veterans were treated when they came home.”
His long march may well have saved his life.
A couple of years ago he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. During treatment he caught a serous infection which almost killed him.
“My doc said that my walking kept me in good shape,” he said.
Placente is staying with his sister, Grace Wells who has been a Villager for 17 years. Next week, he will continue his march south.
