No Shortage of Ways To Honor Veterans In The Tampa Bay Area

Posted Nov 9, 2011 by Howard Altman

Updated Nov 9, 2011 at 05:04 PM

As can and should be expected in an area with one of the largest concentrations of veterans in the country, the Veterans Day festivity notices are coming fast and furious.

I know I can’t get to all of them, and I apologize in advance for any I have missed, but here are some with more likely to follow:

Saint Leo University, 33701 State Road 52, is holding an event on its main campus Friday, Nov. 11 to honor “all men and women who have served in the armed forces,” according to a release. 

The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. in the Student Community Center’s Greenfelder-Denlinger Boardrooms. Sgt. Larry Kraus of the Florida Highway Patrol, a U.S. Navy veteran, is the featured speaker. The ceremony will also include a wreath presentation, a moment of silence, the parade of colors, and dove release.

Visitors to campus will also be able to see the landmark military sculpture For Those Who Serve, installed at the main campus and dedicated on Veterans Day 2010.

Saint Leo University (www.saintleo.edu) enrolled 4,743 veterans during the past academic year and awarded nearly 700 associate, bachelor’s, and graduate degrees to veterans.  The university also educated 5,026 active duty military and reservists during the course of the last academic year.

For the seventh consecutive year, a team of 25 military personnel, police, firefighters and community leaders will complete a four-day, 550-mile benefit relay run from Duluth, Ga. to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay on Friday, Nov. 11, to raise awareness for and remember the families of fallen and wounded Special Operations Forces soldiers. Runners will cross the finish line around in Cheetah Hunt Plaza around 11 a.m. Friday, and this year’s run will honor Medal of . Robert James Miller and his family.

The Special Operations Forces Run is led by Lt. Bill Stevens of the Duluth Police Department and founder of the Georgia-based charity, Operation One Voice. The non-profit organization, managed by public safety professionals and community leaders, supports children and families of fallen and wounded Special Operations Forces soldiers.

Operation One Voice honors the contributions of Special Operations Forces soldiers, which include Army Rangers, Green Berets, Spec Op Aviators, Navy Seals, Air Force Special Operations pilots, para-rescue and Marine Force Recon.

What: Special Operations Forces Run

When: 11:00 a.m. Friday, November 11, 2011

Where: Cheetah Hunt Plaza, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

As part of ServiceNation’s Mission Serve, 11-city initiative, Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-Palm Harbor) will join local volunteers with the support of Bank of America, The Pat Tillman Foundation, and local military commands, to rehab the stables and riding areas at the Quantum Leap Farm, an equine therapy center serving disabled children and military in the Tampa area.

To find events and ongoing volunteer opportunities, users go to www.MissionServe.org and enter their zip code to find service projects and organizations in their own neighborhood.

The Mission Serve initiative was launched on Veterans Day 2009 with support from First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, and asks civilian and military communities across America to come together through service and volunteerism.