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Retired Marine gets surprise bench
By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Otis Felder, a retired U.S. Marine, was already having a pretty good Veterans Day — even before he made his daily trek to the dog park at the Land O’ Lakes Recreational Complex, off Collier Parkway. He’d started the day by catching up with some of his fellow Marines on Facebook, and was feeling pretty good about that. Then, when he and his basset hound, Chopper, arrived at the dog park, his day got even better. Patriotic balloons bobbed from the perimeter of the chain-link fence at the compound, and there was a big surprise waiting inside. His friends, Judy Hudson and Leslie Friedel, of Wesley Chapel, shouted out greetings to Felder. “What’s up?” Felder asked, as he entered the dog park’s gates. Hudson encouraged him to check out the new bench there. As he approached it, he realized that the bench was dedicated to him. “In honor of Otis Felder,” it says.“Thank you for 20 years of service.” Below those words there’s an image of a flapping American flag.
“Holy mackerel,” the 84-year-old Felder said. “I’m really impressed.Wow. “I never expected anything like that. “Well, who did this?” he asked. Hudson was not forthcoming: “I guess, God,” she replied. “It’s awesome,” said the veteran, whose 20 years in the Marine Corps included two tours of duty in Vietnam, and assignments in such places as California, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand,Virginia, Hawaii, North Carolina and Michigan. Planning for the Nov. 11 surprise started a few months ago, Hudson said. That’s when she began reaching out to see if she could persuade a company to donate a bench to honor Felder. It took persistence, but the work paid off when Polly Products, a company based in Mulliken, Michigan, agreed to provide the bench. Next,Tommy D’Iorio, a park site supervisor for the Pasco County parks, recreation and natural resources department, made sure his team assembled the bench for the big surprise. They even wrapped it up, to make sure no one sat on it before Felder. Hudson and Susan Bernardino, another See BENCH, page 9A
B.C. MANION
Judy Hudson arrived early at Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex’s dog park on Veterans Day because she wanted to put up these patriotic balloons along the chain-link fence of the compound.
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Otis Felder, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 20 years, tests out a bench that honors his military service. It’s in the dog park at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, which Felder visits daily.
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Tropical Storm Eta caused disruptions, some damage
Veterans commended in surprise drive-by parade
By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
By Joey Johnston
United Methodist Church, included the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, the Pasco County Fire Department, Mission Barbecue, the Rough Riders, the Santa Drill Team, Operation Patriot and private citizens. “It was wonderful,’’ said Johanna Snee, activities director at the Baldomero Lopez facility.“It’s definitely a boost. It gave our residents a little bit of normalcy.’’ Or, as one of the drive-by banners read: “You Are Not Forgotten!’’ April Currie, Honor Flight president, said her group has taken 40 flights to Washington with approximately 3,000 veterans.The “Honor Flight at Home’’ program has honored nearly 600 more veterans. Given the virus and safety stipulations, Currie said she was delighted to see great participation in the drive-by ceremony for the Baldomero Lopez facility veterans. “We tried to make it a big surprise and everyone was told, ‘Let’s go outside and
By the time it hit the Tampa Bay area, Hurricane Eta had been downgraded to Tropical Storm Eta — but the storm still caused disruptions and left some damage in its wake. Pasco County Schools closed early on Nov. 11 due to the potential for high winds, and the district remained closed on Nov. 12. All events also were canceled that day. But, the district reopened on Nov. 13, as expected, because there were no reports of significant damage. “The school district sent students and staff home early on Wednesday while the unpredictable storm made its way toward the Tampa Bay area,” a district news release said. “The district is closed today (Thursday), as staff members take stock of all schools and district offices. It became clear early Thursday morning that, despite heavy winds and significant rainfall, schools and district offices were largely unscathed,” the release said. Some coastal and low-lying areas were flooded, but those were primarily outside The Laker/Lutz New coverage area. Tambrey Laine, communications manager for Pasco County, said there were no reports of significant damage in Pasco County, no rescues and no road closures. She also noted that any minor street flooding that did occur, had subsided. Hillsborough County Emergency Management also reported minimal damage, according to Jose Patino, on the county’s communications staff.The county did open five shelters, which were used by 29 people, he said. As the storm was heading toward the re-
See VETERANS, page 9A
See ETA, page 9A
Special to The Laker/Lutz News
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INSIDE, PAGE 1B
As the 50-vehicle red, white and blue parade of cars, trucks, minivans and campers wound its way — twice — around a circular drive at the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home, the sight that stood out most was the group of surprised and delighted spectators. Forty residents from the 120-bed facility — who served in American wars dating back to the Korean Conflict —had been wheeled outside for their most significant fresh-air time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March. They were socially distanced and wore masks. They also waved American flags. They smiled.They cheered and applauded. Some teared up a bit. It was a Veterans Day celebration — two days late — that was appreciated and treasured. The event was conceived by Honor Flight of West Central Florida, a nonprofit agency that flies military veterans to Washington and honors their service. Many elderly veterans can’t make that trip, so an “Honor Flight at Home’’ was planned, complete with a speaker from MacDill Air Force Base, shirts, hats, a clap-out parade and a redistribution of the medals earned during military service. Those plans were canceled by the virus. The nursing-home lockdown lasted through the summer and still remains strict for safety purposes. Veterans Day brought another opportunity — and some creativity. The drive-by parade, which was staged and organized about a mile away at the First
JOEY JOHNSTON
Linn Rexroat, Pam Smith and Harry Provan, of the Santa Drill Team, prepare for the drive-by parade.