Plant City resident and veteran Thomas Taylor had something precious stolen from his front yard a couple of years ago. It wasn’t a BMW sports car or Mercedes SUV. The former Navy “frogman”, a precursor to a Navy SEAL and a nickname for its Underwater Demolitions Team, had three flags stolen off his flagpoles: the American flag, his Navy flag and POW flag.
This wasn’t the first time thieves stole from the man who turned 94-year-old in October. A year before his flags were stolen a wagon was taken from his yard. One of the officers responding to the crime was Officer Fiol. He formed an instant friendship with Taylor, who lives alone and whose stories about his experiences in the Navy and his life are as interesting as they are formidable. Fiol took it upon himself to purchase a replacement wagon from the Tractor Supply Company.
“You can’t help but love him,” said Fiol. “His home is in my zone so I keep an eye on him.”
Fiol is modest; he does much more than that. When his flags were stolen the following year, he installed taller 12-foot flagpoles on his day off, hoping they’d be a deterrent for anyone wanting to steal them again. He also ordered replacement flags from Amazon.
Taylor was grateful for the kindness because the flags are a representation of freedom. He often sits on his front porch in a rocking chair, watching as the flags flutter in the breeze while contemplating his service to country.
“These flags mean I’ve done my part and stand for our freedom,” he said.
Taylor joined the Navy right after he graduated from high school in 1956 and served for 16 1/2 years. He landed in Vietnam on March 5, 1958. Her’s hesitant to talk about his experiences in the country. “There are things that you go through that you can’t talk about,” he said.
Taylor often has trouble sleeping at night. Memories from decades ago still haunt him. “I close my eyes and I’m right back there,” he said. Despite the flashbacks that haunt him, he’s glad he was able to serve his country.
When Hurricane Ian tore through town in September, the strong winds left his flags in tatters. They needed replacing again. Fiol wanted to help his friend. Officer Vincent Wise also knew Taylor. On Thanksgiving Day, Wise told his father, Elks Lodge member Ed Wise, who is in charge of a program that provides American flags to veterans, about Taylor’s situation. The father and son left their family’s holiday celebration to swap out the tattered flag for a new one. “He’s a veteran and risked his life for his country,” said Ed Wise. “I think I could delay my turkey dinner long enough to take the man a flag and show him the respect he deserves.”
Fiol ordered Taylor new Navy and POW flags, which he again hung up on his day off. It’s a small sacrifice for a man who’s given so much. “We kinda like each other,” he joked.