Veterans Day 2012

Interview with Purple Heart Veteran Louis Boria, Jr. at VFW Post 10147 in Apopka, FL May 19th, 2010. Veteran Louis Boria served as a Sergeant in the U. S. Marine Corps in World War II and the Korean War. He received two Purple Hearts for his service to his country. His four sons and his brother all became Marines. He lost one son in the Vietnam War. Veteran Boria reflects on his military experiences and the meaning of Memorial Day.

Interview with World War II Veteran James Ferguson at VFW Post 10147 in Apopka FL, May 19th, 2010. Veteran Ferguson joined the Navy in 1944. He went to aerial flight school, worked as a backseat gunner in WWII and later became a nuclear weapons technician working on the VC8, the first airplane equipped with nuclear capability. Veteran Ferguson reflects on his good life in Apopka and the meaning of Memorial Day.

Interview with WWII and Korean War Veteran William R. Meisel at VFW Post 10147 in Apopka, FL, May 19th, 2010. Veteran Meisel served in seven major battles throughout the Pacific and recalls some of his more memorable experiences. His grandson is currently on his fourth tour of duty in Afghanistan and is due to come home at the end of June 2010. Veteran Meisel shares his love for the military, his country and his community in this interview.

Interview with WWII Veteran Ortenzio A. Vecchio at VFW Post 10147 in Apopka, FL, May 19th 2010. Veteran Vecchio served with General Patton in the Third Army Division, Battalion 777. Ortenzio A. Vecchio was born in Italy and came to the U.S. at age 10. He refused to go to Italy during WWII because of his relatives and was sent to the white cliffs of Dover then to France and Germany. Veteran Vecchio shares his love for America and reflects on the meaning of Memorial Day: "saying prayers for those who fought and died for our country."

Interview with Vietnam Veteran Marv Suriff at VFW Post 10147 in Apopka, FL, May 19th, 2010. Veteran Suriff served in the U.S. Air Force in Thailand and Vietnam. His more memorable experiences include facing enemy fire from across the border and the great comradeship in the military. He reflects on the meaning of Memorial Day and the discipline he learned while serving his country.

Interview with WWII Veteran Lyle Shaffer at the VA Medical Center in Orlando, FL May 26th, 2010. Veteran Schaffer was a Foward Observer with an observation point on the Rhine River during the WWII combat in Germany. He shares his love for America and the freedom made possible by U.S. soldiers in this interview.

Interview with WWII Veteran Walter Reinhold at the VA Medical Center in Orlando, FL May 26th, 2010.

Walter was born in Bavaria and sent to the U.S. at age 14 along with his brother. His parents stayed in Germany, but lost everything with "Kristallnacht". President Roosevelt's assistant later arranged for Walter Reinhold's parents to come to the United States.

Veteran Reinhold relates his experiences in the U.S. Army serving in the makeshift military government in Munich and his first driving lesson: when he was ordered to drive a vehicle across the Rhine river.

Interview with WWII Veteran Jacob Miller at the Orlando VA Medical Center on May 26th, 2010. Veteran Miller served in the U.S. Army in WWII, the Korean War and twice in the Vietnam War.  His military service as Master Sergeant included duty in Italy during WWII and working in the combat zone in Vietnam. He reflects on the education and advancements he received in the military, his love of family and his thankfulness for the Orlando VA Medical Center.

Interview with WWII Veteran Gerry Hosford at Delaney Street Baptist Church in Orlando, FL, May 30th, 2010, Memorial Day weekend. Veteran Hosford served as Staff Sergeant in the Army Air Corps during WWII working on aircraft such as B-10's and the Keystone Bomber. He recalls being on a date in a movie theater in Shreveprt, LA when the news broke out: "Pearl Harbor has been bombed. All military report to base." His date was surprised because he hadn't told her he was in the military. Mr. Hosford remembers Orlando as a small town when he came in the 1960s and today he says Orlando, "Is a wonderful place to be!"

Interview with WWII Veteran Rocco Covello at VFW 4287 in Orlando, FL, Memorial Day, 2010. Veteran Covello served in WWII in the 4th Infantry Division in Germany. He recalls waiting to go on the frontline at Camp Lucky Strike Replacement Camp when the war ended. Veteran Covello values serving his country and presently serves in the Honor Guard at VFW 4287. He enjoys the quiet of life in Orlando with his wife and two daughters.

Interview with WWII Veteran Robert Brodrick at VFW 4287 in Orlando, FL, Memorial Day 2010. Veteran Brodrick served in the U.S. Army as a Platoon Sergeant in Europe during WWII. He recalls in detail firsthand experiences liberating the first big town in France, Nancy, (The Battle of Nancy in 1944) and fighting in the Battle of the Bulge - Operation Market Basket. He shares his military experiences in Belgium, France, Holland, and Germany where he got hit with shrapnel on Dec.10th and was back on the frontline on Dec.16th. Veteran Brodrick is thankful "to all the buddies who sacrificed  their life to give me this freedom". He currently serves in the Honor Guard at VFW 4287.

Interview with WWII Veteran Audrey Tracy in Orlando, FL June 6th, 2010, D-Day.

Veteran Tracy served in the U.S. Marine Corps in WWII and worked at Marine Headquarters in Washington, DC. She was one of a select group of women who enlisted to serve their country and "Free a Marine to Fight". These women took on office responsibilities in the military so men could go to combat and fight.

She remembers the impressive military funerals at Arlington Cemetery and the sadness of seeing so many lives lost. Veteran Tracy was on base at Henderson Hall when the news broke that the war was over on August 14th, 1945 and recalls the excitement of getting a bus to Washington and celebrating with everyone in front of the White House.

She is thankful for our wonderful country and believes when we come together as in WWII we can do anything.

Interview with WWII Veteran Clyde Russell McCumber at Delaney Street Baptist Church in Orlando, FL, June 30th, 2010. Veteran McCumber was on his way to church when the war began and was dodging bullets in the Phillipines when the war ended. He served in the Army Air Corps from March 1st, 1943 to March 1st, 1946. He remembers those who didn't come home and gave their life so he could keep on living. Veteran McCumber has an appreciation for our country and all the advantages we have in the United States: "I think America is the greatest!"

Interview with WWII Veteran William M. Turner at Delaney Street Baptist Church, June 30th, 2010.

Veteran Turner served in both WWII and the Korean War. During WWII he trained in aviation and during the Korean War was part of the 278 Regimental Combat Team from Cleveland, TN. Serving his country gave him the opportunity to go to college under the GI Bill of Rights. He earned an engineering degree from the University of Tennessee and a degree in electrical engineering from John Hopkins University. Later he and his wife and two daughters moved to Orlando so he could work for the Martin Company now known as Lockheed Martin.

He shares his story of meeting a Civil War Veteran in Tennessee and his gratitude for all the people who have offered their lives so that we could be a free nation.

Interview with Korean War Veteran Robert L. Claudy, Jr. at Delaney Street Baptist Church in Orlando, FL, June 30th, 2010. Robert Claudy, Jr. is an Orlando native and remembers playing ball at Hillcrest School when Mills Ave. was a clay road. If you made it to the clay it was a home run. He says there were lots of orange groves in the area, people were simple and you "learned how to squeeze the nickel". Veteran Claudy served in the United States Navy Submarine Service during the Korean War and did operations out of Key West, FL. He recalls shooting the stars with a sextant for navigation. He was aboard the  USS Cochino doing operations off the coast of Russia when the battery exploded and the submarine later sank in the Barents Sea off Norway. Hear his firsthand account of this historic event.

Interview with  WWII and Korean War Veteran Liston "Alex" Coomer at VFW 2093 in Orlando, FL, June 25th, 2010. Veteran Coomer flew with Captain Chuck Yeager, worked as a flight engineer on B-29's, B-50's, B-36's, C-124's, earned his million mile certificate and retired as a Master Sergeant. He recalls learning to fly on a  KR 21 paperwing biplane at John Roberts airport in Honolulu, Hawaii in July 1941 and went on to serve in the Administrative Flight Section in Dayton, Ohio. Regarding his experience serving our country, he says, "I'd do it again any day."

Interview with WWII Veteran Jack W. Cropp at Delaney Street Baptist Church in Orlando, FL, May 30th, 2010, Memorial Day. Veteran Cropp served in the U.S. Army in WWII and the Korean War.  He was a Staff Sergeant. He shares his memories of seeing the Golden Gate Bridge when coming back to the U.S. from his tour of duty in the Pacific, the good experiences he had in the military and the good life he enjoys today in Orlando.

Interview with  WWII Veteran Keat Spriggs at Delaney Street Baptist Church in Orlando, FL, June 27th, 2010. Veteran Spriggs served in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific during  WWII aboard the  USS 20 until it was decommissioned in Boston after the war. He really appreciates that he could serve our country against a nation that had shown its power against us back in 1941. He recalls Orlando as a small town when he came here with his wife in 1959 when the highways were all two lane roads. He worked for Martin Marietta for 30 years and retired in 1987. He is proud that we are a nation that helps people and has a great appreciation for being an American.

Interview with WWII Veteran Tom Connors at St. James Cathedral Church, Orlando, FL, July 1st, 2010.

Veteran Connors served in the Southwest Pacific during the war in extremely native areas such as New Guinea and Okinawa. He is the only living survivor from the original WWII Navy 7th Fleet Amphibious Force. Hear his firsthand detailed account of landing in New Britain, delivering mail through New Guinea, listening to Tokyo Rose on the radio, seeing the Bob Hope Show  in New Guinea and meeting Russian female soldiers on a train from Manchuria.  Veteran Connors  shares his memories of the crew and ships he experienced while serving his country.  At the beginning of WWII they worked on a wooden ship  from WWI because that is what they had.  They had a good  navigator  Bill Robinson, who went on to become managing editor of  Yachting  magazine.

Having  studied radio in New York at RCA Radio School, Veteran Connors worked the radio shack on the ship and was the  radio man  receiving the message from President Truman: "We have dropped an A-bomb on Hiroshima". He discusses the Japanese suicide bombers, typhoons and mines at sea.

He is thankful to God to be close to death and survive it. He says, "If you're ever called on to serve this country, serve it.  It will be an honor and you'll be proud."

Interview with  WWII  Veteran Tom Connors at St. James Cathedral Church, Orlando, FL, July 1st, 2010. Veteran Connors served in the Southwest Pacific during the war in extremely native areas such as New Guinea and Okinawa. He is the only living survivor from the original WWII Navy 7th Fleet Amphibious Force. Hear his firsthand detailed account of landing in New Britain, delivering mail through New Guinea, listening to Tokyo Rose on the radio, seeing the Bob Hope Show in New Guinea and meeting Russian female soldiers on a train from Manchuria. Veteran Connors shares his memories of the crew and ships he experienced while serving his country.

At the beginning of WWII they worked on a wooden ship from WWI because that is what they had. They had a good navigator Bill Robinson, who went on to become managing editor of Yachting magazine. Having studied radio in New York at RCA radio school, Veteran Connors worked the radio shack on the ship and was the radio man receiving the message from President Truman: "We have dropped an A-bomb on Hiroshima".

He discusses the Japanese suicidal bombers, typhoons and mines at sea. He is thankful to God to be close to death and survive it. He says, "If you're ever called on to serve this country, serve it. It will be an honor and you'll be proud.

Interview with WWII Veteran Tom Connors at St. James Cathedral Church, Orlando, FL, July 1st, 2010.

Veteran Connors served in the Southwest Pacific during the war in extremely native areas such as New Guinea and Okinawa. He is the only living survivor from the original WWII Navy 7th Fleet Amphibious Force. Hear his firsthand detailed account of landing in New Britain, delivering mail through New Guinea, listening to Tokyo Rose on the radio, seeing the Bob Hope Show  in New Guinea and meeting Russian female soldiers on a train from Manchuria.  Veteran Connors  shares his memories of the crew and ships he experienced while serving his country.  At the beginning of WWII they worked on a wooden ship  from WWI because that is what they had.  They had a good  navigator  Bill Robinson, who went on to become managing editor of Yachting magazine.

Having  studied radio in New York at RCA Radio School, Veteran Connors worked the radio shack on the ship and was the  radio man  receiving the message from President Truman: "We have dropped an A-bomb on Hiroshima". He discusses the Japanese suicide bombers, typhoons and mines at sea.

He is thankful to God to be close to death and survive it. He says, "If you're ever called on to serve this country, serve it.  It will be an honor and you'll be proud."

Interview with WWII Veteran Floyd O. Johnson at Saint Richard's Episcopal Church in Winter Park, FL, July 3rd, 2010.  

Veteran Johnson joined the U.S. Navy at age 17 in July 1943 and went on to fly as a Tail Gunner for 30 years. He worked in torpedo bombers in  the U.S. Navy and B-26's, B-29's, B-36's, and B-52's in the U.S. Air Force. Veteran Johnson served in WWII, the Korean War, and five tours of duty in the Vietnam War. He shares his experiences, stories and details on military life. His wife, Jackie, was the Family Services Coordinator for military families on base and contributed 15,000 volunteer hours. Veteran Johnson was part of the 11th Bomb Wing selected to fly over President Harry Truman's inauguration on January 20th, 1949 and recalls what is was like to fly from Texas to Washington, DC with 11 reporters on board. He is proud to have served his country and retired as a Senior Master Sergeant from the U.S. Air Force. His advice is: "Pay attention to your superiors. Most of them are well intentioned people. You can learn from them and what they have to say. Life itself is - especially in this country-  really great! "

Interview with WWII Veteran Floyd O. Johnson at Saint Richard's Episcopal Church in Winter Park, FL, July 3rd, 2010.

Veteran Johnson joined the U.S. Navy at age 17 in July 1943  and went  on to  fly as  a Tail Gunner for 30 years. He worked  in torpedo bombers in  the U.S. Navy and B-26's, B-29's, B-36's, and B-52's in the U.S. Air Force. Veteran Johnson served in WWII, the Korean War, and five tours of duty in the Vietnam War. He shares his experiences, stories and  details on military life.

His wife, Jackie, was the family services coordinator for military families on base and contributed 15,000 volunteer hours. Veteran Johnson was part of the 11th Bomb Wing selected to fly over President Harry Truman's inauguration on January 20th, 1949 and recalls what is was like to fly from Texas to Washington,  DC with 11 reporters on board. He is proud to have served his country and retired as a Senior Master Sergeant from the U.S. Air Force.

His advice is: "Pay attention to your superiors. Most of them are well intentioned people. You can learn from them and what they have to say. Life itself is - especially in this country-  really great! "

Interview with WWII Veteran Floyd O. Johnson at Saint Richard's Episcopal Church in Winter Park, FL, July 3rd, 2010.

Veteran Johnson joined the U.S. Navy at age 17 in July 1943 and went on to fly as a Tail Gunner for 30 years. He worked in torpedo bombers in the U.S. Navy and B-26's, B-29's, B-36's, and B-52's in the U.S. Air Force. Veteran Johnson served in WWII, the Korean War, and five tours of duty in the Vietnam War.

He shares his experiences, stories and details on military life. His wife, Jackie, was the Family Services Coordinator for military families on base and contributed 15,000 volunteer hours. Veteran Johnson was part of the 11th Bomb Wing crew selected to fly over President Harry Truman's inauguration on January 20th, 1949 and recalls what is was like to fly from Texas to Washington, DC with 11 reporters on board.

He is proud to have served his country and retired as a Senior Master Sergeant from the U.S. Air Force. His advice is: "Pay attention to your superiors. Most of them are well intentioned people. You can learn from them and what they have to say. Life itself is - especially in this country- really great! "

Interview with WWII Veteran and German Prisoner of War Lou Toth at Orlando VA Medical Center, May 26th, 2010.

Veteran Toth was a paratrooper and retired as a Master Seargent in the United States Army. During WWII he landed at Utah Beach and was taken Prisoner of War by the Germans in Normandy.  At age 89, Veteran Toth still works out seven days a week. In this interview he shares his thoughts on America, Memorial Day, and a funny story about ice fishing in Minnesota. 

Interview with World II Veteran Frank D. Harrison at Delaney Street Baptist Church in Orlando, FL, August 8th, 2010. Veteran  Harrison retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after serving his country for 25 years in the United States Air Force. Serving our country is the most proud accomplishment of his life. He served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He says, "I   was never personally a hero, but I had the very great honor of serving with some of our nation's greatest heroes". He recalls  flying with WWII flying ace Richard Bong and  General Chesley Peterson, the  first American Commander of the RAF Eagle Squadron. Veteran  Harrison remembers the patriotism present at VJ Day and wishes we could return to it. He treasures the freedom of living in America and encourages future generations to show more patriotism.

Interview with World War II Veteran Jerry Kinsley at St. James Cathedral in Orlando, FL, August 12th, 2010.

Veteran Kinsley served in the 90th Naval Construction Battalion in and around Japan. A contracter by profession, Mr. Kinsley was at work building  the plant  for the  atomic bomb when he  quit to serve in the military. He saw many boys coming back from the war who had lost limbs and he thought "I got to do something to help".  He went directly to the volunteer office on Orange Avenue  in downtown Orlando and volunteered. A week after bootcamp he was in Pearl Harbor: "It was pretty well shot up. I saw a lot of ships on their  sides in the harbor."

Serving in WWII showed him "You can help other people." He is proud  he was a part of WWII and that we did win. He says, "It is unbelievable we could be in the spot we were in with nothing and in a year's time we got more boats, planes, jeeps than there were in the rest of the world. Pretty good accomplishment for the boys fighting in WWII." Hear his firsthand account of these historic events. 

Interview with Mr. Jerry Kinsley, at Saint James Cathedral in Orlando, FL on August 12th, 2010.

Mr. Kinsley recalls coming to Orlando in 1939 and marrying  his wife, Elizabeth, at Saint James Catholic Church in downtown Orlando in 1941, when it was still a little wooden church. His daughter, Patricia, remembers the beautiful sound her dress shoes made on the church floor. She shares the memories with her husband, Al Stinson, of raising their four children at Saint James Cathedral Church and school.

Interview with World War II Veteran Cecil Rice at Delaney Street Baptist Church in Orlando, FL, August 15th, 2010. Veteran Rice served as a Pharmacy Mate in the United States Navy and on the H.M.A.S., His Majesty's Australian Ship, Warramunga. Australia did not have any medical technicians of their own so the United States loaned them some. Veteran Rice's tour of duty in the U.S. Navy included working in hospitals and with the invasion forces in Borneo, New Guinea, throughout the  Philippines and the South China Sea. Regarding his military service he says, "Makes you proud to do your little bit for your country... I treasure living in a free country. It has been good to me." He hopes future generations will do the same thing he did and a lot of fellow people who served in WWII: "I'd like them to protect our country."

Interview with World War II Veteran Mario Mesa, Jr. with his wife Glenette and daughter, Laurie, at their home in Orlando, FL, August 28th, 2010.

Mr. Mesa was born in Key West, FL and raised along the Florida  seashore. At age 17 he joined the U.S. Navy and was in Casco Bay, Maine when World War II began. Veteran Mesa landed at Normandy on D-Day at Fox Green Beach with the 6th Beach Battalion. His two superior officers were killed in battle  and Veteran Mesa took charge in their place. Veteran Mesa was at the International Dateline when WWII ended. He left the Navy in 1946 then joined the Reserves in 1950. He spent 38 years serving his country in the U.S. Navy and loved it! He retired as a Chief Boatswain's Mate, BSM, USN.

Hear how he met his wife Glenette at Morrison's Cafeteria on Orange Avenue in 1947, his love for flying a Stearman, and his service to our community as an usher for St. James Cathedral for 50 years.

Interview with  the former  Mayor of Edgewood, Jerry Kinsley, at Saint James Cathedral, in Orlando, FL on  August 12th, 2010.

Mr. Kinsley was the Mayor of Edgewood  in the 1950's and early 1960's. He shares his delightful story of  receiving a phone call from  Edgewood resident and noted lawyer, Attorney Fishback,  asking him to be the mayor. At the time  the Town of Edgewood had six months to revive the town or the state would take it off the books. Here his firsthand account of how  Edgewood went from meeting in people's houses and passing a hat to pay for expenditures to building a Town Hall with tax revenue. In addition to his duties as Mayor of Edgewood, Mr. Kinsley also served as City Engineer and Police Chief.  

Fran Abeel came to Orlando in 1947, because her husband, a disabled veteran, needed to live in a warm climate. Housing was scarce so for their first 2-3 years in Orlando, the Abeels lived in the Veterans Trailer Park. In this excerpt from an oral history interview on September 3rd, 2011, Fran shares how they came to meet other veterans, many fine fellows, and become members of the Disabled American Veterans organization. Mr. and Mrs. Abeel later became community leaders in the local Disabled American Veterans for many years.

Fran Abeel shares her happy memories of boating on the St. Johns River, the community of St. James Cathedral and the wonderful life her family has here in Orlando. She recalls her boys learning to ski on the lake at the Sportmen's Club, the group picnics, and trips with friends taking their boat down to Sanford, putting it on the St. Johns River and going for the weekend to Jacksonville or down to Miami. From the beginning, St. James Cathedral was their home, as she shares in this excerpt from an oral history interview at Saint James Cathedral in downtown Orlando on September 3, 2011.

WWII Veteran Cosmo Monell started barbering at age 14. He became so good that when he was drafted for service in WWII he took on the assignment of cutting all the GI's, all the soldiers hair. General Patton learned of Cosmo's expertise and requested him to come over and cut his hair. Patton was so pleased with the results he had Cosmo Monell travel with him as his personal barber all over Europe as brother and fellow WWII Veteran Michael Monell shares in this excerpt from an oral history interview on November 9th, 2011. 

Michael says, "Patton was a mean guy, but everybody loved him. He was a great general, very great generals at that time." 

When Cosmo Monell left the military he chose to settle in Kissimmee, FL where he opened a barber shop on Main Street and became known throughout Kissimmee as "Tony the Barber".

Domineck Monell volunteered for service in WWII and entered the Air Force. He  served  as  a mechanic working on P-51's. His military  service included  a visit to Fort Myers where he fell in love with Florida. He went home to  Fairmont, VA got his wife and they settled in Jacksonville, FL where Domineck worked at the Naval Air Station for 30 years as a mechanic and shop manager.  

Domineck  Monell is one of the eight Monell brothers  from Fairmont, VA  ready to serve their country in WWII. Six of the Monell brothers were drafted and two received their notice. One brother, Tony, the first to ship out in the Invasion of 1944 was killed in battle. Frank Monell,  rescued 56 men at the Battle of the Bulge, was shot three times, and survived POW camp. He lives now in a VA nursing home.

Orlando resident and WWII Veteran  Michael Monell says, "My family was very proud of what we did."  

Hear this excerpt from Michael Monell's oral history interview at Saint James Cathedral in downtown Orlando, November 9, 2011.

When Michael Monell and his wife came to Orlando in 1955, they bought their first house out in the country, what is today known as Fashion Square Mall area. Mike recalls asking his wife, "Don't you think it is too far from Orlando? Look how far we'd be from downtown."

In this excerpt from an oral history interview at Saint James Cathedral on November 9th, 2011, WWII Veteran Michael Monell shares how his parents came to this country, worked in the coal mines of West Virginia, raised 10 children through the Great Depression, eight of whom would go on to prepare for military service in WWII.

Michael followed his dream to come to Florida where two of his brothers were living in Kissimmee and Jacksonville.

He entered the wholesale business and did very well working with all the hotels and restaurants in the area.

From the day his father arrived in this country at age 21 looking for work, the Monell family has cherished the values of hard work and service to God and country.

WWII Veteran Michael Monell still serves his community as an usher at St. James Cathedral in downtown Orlando and has served for years as Commander of the local American Veterans post leading groups to volunteer at VA clinics in our area.

Michael Monell was drafted in 1943 and sent to St. Petersburg, FL to experience "The Jungle" in preparation for service in the South Pacific.

As it turns out, his WWII  tour of duty was in Europe where he served for  three and a half  years.

Michael is one of the eight Monell  brothers  from  Fairmont, VA  all ready to serve their country during World War II.

As Michael Monell shares his brother, Tony, was in the first group out for the Invasion of 1944 and was killed in battle at St. Loe, France.

His brother, Frank, served in the Battle of the Bulge and saved 56 men despite being shot three times. He was awarded three Purple Hearts and the Silver Star. He weighed 97 lbs. when the Russians rescued him from the POW camp and was still bleeding, but made it home to the United States where he lives now in a VA nursing home.

Brother Cosmo, became so well known in the service for cutting the GI's hair that General Patton recruited him as his personal barber. After the war he would become famous in our area as "Tony the Barber" with a shop on Main Street in Kissimmee.

Domineck, joined the Air Force and worked on P-51s during the war. He then settled in Jacksonville where he worked at the Naval Air Station for 30 years.

After his military service, Mike dreamed of one day returning to Florida.

He says, "I loved Florida so much. It was just different, so clean."

Eights years later in 1955 Mr. Monell and his family moved to Florida as he shares in this excerpt from an oral history interview at St. James Cathedral, November 9th, 2011.

Known as the Bazooka Man by his platoon, Felix Monell spent days behind enemy lines stringing up wire for U.S. troop communications in Italy during WWII. He was awarded the silver star with the oak leaf cluster for his service to our country in the 361st Infantry Regiment, 91st Division.

Orlando resident and WWII veteran Michael Monell describes how his brother became an interpreter during WWII and later moved to Kissimmee, FL where he became an award winning bowler. Learn more about the extraodinary military service of the Monell brothers in this 9 minute 31 second excerpt from an oral history interview on February 10, 2012 at Saint James Cathedral in downtown Orlando.

Michael Monell states, "Our parents were very proud of their sons that we were ready to lay down our lives in harm's way for the sake of freedom."

We were living in Daytona before my husband was drafted and we had to use a room that was blacked out because we feared the enemy could see the slightest twinkle of light... Then I remember I stood on the beach and I looked out over the ocean and I said what a beautiful scenery it is and then I would look down and I could see the oil all around my toes. And I realized that there were ships having been blown up very close to shore. It was such a rude awakening. Those were serious memories.

Orlando centenarian Myrtle Skop Rutberg shares her memories of WWI, the Great Depression, WWII, and celebrating her 100th birthday at the synagogue on September 17th 2011. Her parents moved in 1904 from their shtetl in Poland and arrived in New York City on the 4th of July with the fireworks. She says, "I treasure everything about living in the United States." Hear Myrtle Skop Rutberg, a living source of history, in this  excerpt  (below)  from her oral history on January 3rd, 2012.

When Florida native Dr. C. David Price came to Orlando in 1954, he was the only fully qualified General Surgeon between Orlando and Jacksonville. You had to join the Orange County Medical Society to practice medicine and have hospital privileges. Emergency care came from local doctors who met their patients at the emergency room. Ambulance service was a funeral parlor hearse provided by Cox Parker Funeral Home. The doctors and lawyers had cookouts together; and for entertainment, Gene Jewett, founder of Jewett Orthopedic Clinic, played the ukulele in Jaw Bones Ragtime Band.

Today Orlando is a medical city as specialists build on the medical progress of the WWII generation of military physicians, medical missionaries and general surgeons, who were trained to do anything and everything.

Dr. Price's son, Dr. Charles T. Price, is president and founder of the Institute for Better Bone Health, director of the International Hip Dysplasia Institute, professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, and orthopedic surgeon at Arnold Palmer Medical Center. In his 2012 book, Can You Feel It In Your Bones? How a Doctor's Quest Uncovered the Hidden Benefits of Silicon for Bone Health, Dr. Charles T. Price's investigations into silicon and the role of nutrition in bone health anticipate the future of medicine in Orlando today.

In this first in a series on Medicine in Central Florida, Dr. C. David Price, outlines the medical infrastructure in place when he arrived in Central Florida in the 1950s. He tells how his degree in parasitology and decision to become a tropical disease doctor was changed by the War Man Power Commission. University of Florida offered him a job working on liver fluke disease in cattle in the Kissimmee River Valley, instead he went to medical school and wound up as Chief of Surgery at Biloxi Air Force Hospital during the Korean War. After serving in two wars and working as a surgeon at the Veteran's Administration Hospital, Dr. Price came to Central Florida and became Winter Park's first Board Certified Surgeon in 1954.

Dr. Dave C. Price is a founding member of the Florida Association of General Surgeons and served as head of the Orange County Medical Society Grievance Committee for 12 years. He talks about the hospitals and emergency care services available in Central Florida when he arrived in the 1950s, and the Orange County Medical Society's authority on medical practice in this excerpt (below) from a medical oral history interview with Dr. Price on August 2, 2012.

There were very few specialists when I came here. There were a few, but there was no strict criteria for exactly who did what. At Winter Park and at the San and even at the Orange, there were a lot of doctors, returned missionaries, and well trained family doctors, some of the bread and butter surgery. That was okay, but at Winter Park here's what happened...

LISTEN as Dr. C. David Price details the progress of medicine in Central Florida in this second part of our series Medicine in Central Florida. From antibiotics to robotics, he tells us how "medicine really improved with the advent of highly trained specialists."

In the 1950s, Dr. Price was the only Board Certified surgeon from Orlando to Jacksonville. On November 30, 2012 the University of Florida Research and Academic Center opened at Lake Nona enhancing Orlando's medical city. Orlando now has some of the world's leading medical specialists and offers top medical facilities.

Dr. Price's son, Dr. Charles T. Price, works in Central Florida as "Director of the International Hip Dysplasia Institute (IHDI), where he leads an international group of orthopedic surgeons in efforts to improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of hip dysplasia, the most common abnormality in newborn infants and a frequent cause of hip arthritis in adults. He is principal investigator and coordinator for a multi-national clinical trial for treatment for infant hip dislocations." Read more. His new book published this year, Can You Feel It in Your Bones? How a Doctor's Quest Uncovered the Hidden Benefits of Silicon for Bone Health goes beyond traditional medicine with research on nutrition and silicon.

Learn more about how Orlando became the medical city it is today in this two part medical oral history interview with Dr. C. David Price.

General Surgeon Dr. C. David Price Medical Oral History Interview, 2012  -  LISTEN Part I   (14:43) 

General Surgeon Dr. C. David Price Medical Oral History Interview, 2012  - Part II  (12:15) LISTEN BELOW

Dr. C. David Price is a founding member of the Florida Association of General Surgeons and the first Board Certified Surgeon in Winter Park. He served in WWII and the Korean War. Before coming to Central Florida he was Chief of Surgery at Biloxi Air Force Hospital and worked as a surgeon in the Veterans Administration Hospital. His private practice in Central Florida spans three decades (1954-1987) and numerous leadership positions such as head of the Orange County Medical Society Grievance Committee, Board of Trustee for Winter Park Memorial Hospital, and involvement in numerous church and civic activities.