The Civil War.  Arguably the worst period in the history of our nation; it pitted brother against brother, friend against friend, and we lost well over 620,000 men as well as countless civilian casualties.  That is more than the combined total of U.S. casualties in all other wars.  

It was a 4 year blood bath that causes tension to this very day almost 150 years after the fact.

On Saturday, I took a drive down to Delray Beach to visit a 'Civil War Historical Re-enactment.’  Before heading down I had imagined the day to include some sort of mock battle or the like.  Instead, we got a glimpse into the daily lives of deployed Union Troops in the field.  

I’ve seen photos of the lines of tents from the Civil War, and I’ve seen photos and movies regarding all of the wars we’ve been involved with.  However, like most people that haven’t served in a military capacity, I’ve never really given much thought about the harshness of troop life in a war zone before, and I came away with a very different perspective.

Consider this; I spent several hours discussing things with Damian Wolf, (Commander, 47th New York Volunteer Infantry) and his wife Sandy, Jeff Durnin, (Lt. and Regimental Quartermaster, and second in in command) and several others in the 'camp.’  The camp was set up on the grounds of the American Legion Post on NE 6th St. in Delray Beach.  In short, it is a very nice area, and a great venue for such an event.  

However, during the time I was there, the weather changed from being a little cool to what anyone that has lived in Florida as long as I have would call downright chilly.  The wind picked up noticeably and the tents began needing a constant watch.  Mind you, several of the people were actually camping out on these grounds since Thursday and like I said, it’s been cold.  

Then I got to thinking about that and the reality of the situation, and got educated real fast.  Here I was standing in South Florida with a full belly, observing just a mild sampling of what those in the Civil War endured; except that the battles of the Civil War were not fought in the warmth of Florida where I had the nerve to feel chilly.  No, those battles were fought in Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and other areas up north where it gets very, very cold.  The soldiers in the early 1860’s on both sides suffered from lack of food and water, exposure, disease of every kind, and you name it.  They were shot up, tired, missing limbs, etc.  As in most wars, they were mostly very young, probably scared out of their wits, and wishing they could just go home.  But they couldn’t; they were soldiers and they followed orders, which meant they lived in the sort of canvas tents I visited, and braved the harshness of a very brutal war.

Then I couldn’t help but think of all the other men and women in every other war, from the Revolutionary War of 1776, the War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish American, WWI and WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf Wars.  Sure there have been some differences depending upon locale and technologies, but it doesn’t matter; all have the shared experiences of inadequate everything.  All of them have suffered greatly and given up much or all.  In the end, what General Sherman said was so true, “war is hell.”

For anyone that wants to get a taste of what life was like during the Civil War and perhaps get the same sense that I did; visit their website and check out the schedule of events by going to http://www.floridareenactorsonline.com/ and plan on visiting an event your area.  I would strongly suggest bringing the children for a real history lesson.

Roger Dean Stadium has become an iconic sports venue in Palm Beach County.  People go on dates there; families, groups, and friends have outings there, have a bite to eat, and most would say it’s a great place to spend a few hours enjoying America’s Favorite Pastime.

However, in recent days, the shine of that venue has been dulled and stained with a controversy surrounding our men and women in uniform, and specifically our POW/MIAs.  The story started out simply enough when it was noticed by Mr. Frank Plescia, (a frequent patron who happens to be POW/MIA Committee Chairman for the State of Florida, Disabled American Veterans) that there was no POW/MIA flag on display at the stadium.  As a result, he contacted Mr. Alex Inman, who is the Events Services Manager and offered not only a free flag, but also a free flag pole installation by a licensed concrete contractor, which after initial attempts at contact failed, Mr. Inman declined, stating in an email, “Once again thank you for your interest in us here at Roger Dean Stadium. It was an organizational decision to graciously decline the offer.”

Decline the offer?!  This issue regards a flag that has become the symbol of the plight of our POW/MIAs; countless men and women in uniform and their families.  Names such as S/Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl; a POW that our government has virtually abandoned for political reasons in the Mid-East and Lt. Michael Behenna; a POW of the PC war at home in America come to mind.  

So many of our sons and daughters ignored by the government, and now a flag designed to bring awareness to them is brushed off with a “…gracious decline” by a venue that derives much of its revenue by many of our Veterans, their family members, and the families of those missing and held captive.   

I spoke with Mrs. Plescia concerning this and was informed that she contacted General Manager Mike Bauer, who not only reinforced the “gracious decline” of the flag, he also compared it to being no different than not flying the flag of an opposing ball club.  I was additionally informed that he stated management’s belief that honoring our military once per year during a special event is sufficient.  Since the story broke, a social media frenzy and phone call campaign has ensued and many concerned citizens as well as Veteran groups have become embroiled in expressing their outrage with the decision by the stadium to show such total disdain and disrespect to our nation’s military.

As of press time, neither Mr. Bauer or Mr. Inman have returned any of our phone calls, however I just got word that Mr. Bauer has decided to bow to the rightfully intense pressure exerted by the many that have been calling his office, and will now accept and fly the POW/MIA flag.  While The Patriots Press is glad to hear that news, we are never the less dismayed that such a report has become necessary in the first place. 

This is America, and no public venue should ever be allowed to get away with such a total lack of regard and respect for our nation and our heroes. 

Florida’s CFO is making the rounds in South Florida this week and was in West Palm Beach last evening; and among several stops, took center stage at the Lantana Branch Library and spoke to the leaders of the South Florida 912, as well as a ‘Who’s Who’ of the leadership of the Grassroots organizations in the region.

The meeting opened as do all of the SF 912 meetings with brief opening remarks, prayer, and Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.  Co-Founder Shannon Armstrong discussed the new meeting schedule and format for the year, and put out a plea for new leaders to rise up to help with the tasks ahead.  

Shannon also updated the gathering on the success of the recent Christmas Toy Drive and shared some of the stories encountered at several of the hospitals that were visited.  

Before introducing Jeff Atwater, Dennis Lipp discussed an ‘Adopt a Road’ program and an upcoming Habitat for Humanity event, and asked for volunteers; of which many raised their hands.

CFO Atwater was as always very gracious and humble, and recalling a time not so long ago when neighbors helped each other, he was very pleased to hear of the community involvement of the group.  He very much understands that while the 912 and combined grassroots movement are certainly doing everything possible to hold elected officials to their word, they are also acting within their separate communities to make a positive impact.  Also noteworthy about his talk was that as always, he never used any kind of notes or cues of any kind, and clearly came across as a man that knows his game and information very well.  Even during the Q and A session at the end, he was steady on his feet and knew exactly what he was talking about.   

As you’ll remember, we visited the So. Florida Fair last weekend before it opened so that we could bring you a sense of what goes on behind the scenes, and since I really like fireworks, I decided to walk through again on Friday night after the rush of the afternoon opening.

Just as expected, everything had come together nicely.  None of the certain glitches of the set up were apparent; there was nothing but fun and families having a good time at an old fashioned County Fair.

There are Funnel Cakes, Kettle Korn, Donut Burgers, flashing lights, the mixed aromas of Cotton Candy and just about every sort of fried, artery clogging, delicious culinary delight one can imagine; I even saw ‘Rocky Mountain Oysters, (of which I will take a pass, thank you very much)! 

Maybe you like the dizzying spinning rides, the simplicity of a Ferris Wheel, the slow and steady pace of a tram to ride over and view the entire affair, or any of the other choices.  You might find it just as much fun to simply walk around, forget about life for a few hours and snack on an Ice Cream while doing some people watching and listening to the gleeful screams of kids from 5 to 95, or maybe check out the world’s smallest woman, smallest horse, and an array of oddities to be found in the attached Carnival.  There is even a ‘famous’ clown at the dunk tank deep inside the Carnival that just begs to be dunked in a vat of stuff from the petting zoo.