A local Plant City hero was honored on May 2 at a special American Flag presentation at the Elks Lodge.
Congressman Dennis Ross joined the gathered Elks to fulfill the request of Fred Lee, a Vietnam veteran that requested the flag for the lodge to honor the abundant number of veterans that call the group home. The flag had flown over the U.S. Capitol and Ross presented it to Lee and thanked him for his service.
Lee grew up running around the streets of Plant City and was a graduate of Turkey Creek High School in 1959. Coming from a military centered family he said serving was simply part of his culture.
“There was no place left to go,” Lee said. “This isn’t a booming big town. You could keep on working on the farm or you could go somewhere else. I was tired of working on the farm and didn’t have enough money to go to college so I said the heck with it and enlisted.”
When he walked up to enlist he was 17 years old. With his parents’ support, he signed his name and soon he was a Marine, where he served for six years.
He was a trumpet player and bugler and the war caused him to lift the instrument to his lips and play “Taps” so frequently no one could ever doubt the price of freedom.
“Most of it, my memories, are of the good stuff, but there were bad days,” Lee said. “I went with the fire squads to the funerals. There were a lot of them.”
Through it all, he said he never thought twice about enlisting. Yes, it was in his blood, but it also was simply the right thing to do.
“I just didn’t think anything about it,” Lee said. “This is what you do. For my generation, this is what you do.”
Following the war, he returned to his hometown. He graduated from Polk Community College and Florida Southern College on the G.I. Bill. He started a family and his descendants became musical prodigies in their own right.
Soon he was active in organizations across town, including the Elks. The group has made it a mission to focus on children in the community and provide aid wherever there is a need. Ed Wise, past officer of the Elks Lodge, said Lee has been instrumental, giving advice and innovative ideas to the lodge.
“He’s always given us a lot of good ideas and over the years we often find ourselves turning to him for input,” Wise said.
Elks members also heavily support local veterans, as is seen in the numerous service projects, checks and volunteer hours they dedicate each year to help local military branches. They line the streets and wave flags at deployment parties, pay for veterans to visit memorials in Washington D.C., foot the medical bill for veterans in the hospital and will be the first to tackle the manual labor needed to make repairs to a veteran or current soldier’s home.
Many local veterans like Lee pledge their service to the Elks. Even on the day set aside to honor Lee many of the members were found laughing with and picking fun at their treasured companion.
With a glint in his eye he leaned in conspiratorially to whisper that he would let the group in on a little secret.
“Through it all do you know what the greatest moment was?” he said. “The best time of my adult life was when I was a season ticket holder for the Gators.”
Surrounded by a wave of laughter Lee sat back and began to chat with Wise about the next event the Elks were going to do to continue their dedication toward veterans.