Magnolia Landing celebrates veterans, new flagpole
Magnolia Landing residents didn’t know how lucky they were to have a flag until they heard a story from a thrice-decorated Marine veteran from the Vietnam War.
Nearly 100 residents, about 40 of them military veterans, gathered at the front gate of the development off U.S. 41 on Wednesday for a flag dedication and to celebrate the installation of a new flagpole as well as those who serviced their country.
Sue Streeter helped organize the event, which was a first for this community, and said it was a way to honor the nearly 80 veterans who live in there.
“The residents decided they wanted to have a flagpole last spring. We were the only community that did not have a flagpole,” Streeter said. “We raised money from our residents.”
The 35-foot high flagpole, which was actually installed in August, cost $2,500.
As residents gathered along the entranceway, the veterans gathered around the flagpole as the old flag was lowered and folded so it can be disposed of properly, with Paul Baldwin playing “Taps” on the trumpet. A new flag was raised to the salutes of all the veterans and the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
Jim Oyster, a Vietnam veteran who received three Purple Hearts for wounds he received in battle (including a lost finger and part of his leg), talked about the history of the American flag, and added some personal thoughts pertaining to his time in Vietnam.
“We were surrounded by 55,000 North Vietnamese soldiers for 77 days. I lived in a bunker eight feet under the ground and we couldn’t go outside,” Oyster said. “We got a makeshift stick and put a flag on it, and every morning I’d peek over the edge of the bunker and saw the flag flying. It made me proud to be an American.”
Despite the feelings about the war and the way some servicemen were treated in the aftermath, Oyster has no regrets about serving.
“I did what everyone had to do at the time, but I felt good about serving my country. It was an honor to serve, even though I didn’t always agree with everything that happened. I was proud to serve,” Oyster said.
From there, veterans adjourned to the clubhouse, where they received a luncheon as thanks for their service.
Doug Dailey, honorary mayor of North Fort Myers, said it was honor to take part in the festivities.
“This is my first Veterans Day event as mayor and I’m honored to be able to participate and to be in their presence,” Dailey said.
Buzz Bussiere, an Air Force veteran during Vietnam, was pleased to see the respect he and his fellow veterans received from the community.
“I was never subject to any negatives and those who were served in Vietnam. The worse duty I had in the Air Force was spending a year in a remote radar station in Alaska,” Bussiere said. “We were cooped up in one building with 65 other guys, though it was adjacent to an Eskimo village and we got to see what their culture was like.”