Page 73 - August 2016 Life In Naples Magazine

...freedom of

speech and and in the lands of their former

expression; enemies. These veterans will be
freedom to greeted by our newest collaborator,
Thank You Across America, a 70 foot

worship God in patriotic bus by Rolling Thunder
our own way; Chapter Five. Patriot Guard Riders
will stand at attention as our guests

freedom are greeted then escorted to their
from want, seats by Boy Scouts, who will also
serve them breakfast.

and freedom Along the way will be the
from fear. Supervisor of Election’s booth, Vote
in Honor of a Veteran, the 16 foot
Patriot Wall by Melinda Clark and

pause for photos with Lady Liberty, Patton and Churchill.

The program will feature our MC, Rick LaCosta, USAF

Veterans and COO of Physicians Regional Healthcare Systems,

along with soloists Steve Smith and Sandra Rommel. After the

group photo, they are off to retrieve their Oakes Farm Victory

Garden bag.

This year’s theme, And Beyond, pays tribute to those Patriots

who stood on the shoulder of these giants and accepted the

gauntlet to sustain the bedrock values that formed the basis of

the American Experiment. On August 14th (the 2nd Sunday),

the official National day to honor the ending of WWII, the 7th

Annual Taps Across America at Lowdermilk will continue with its

traditional sunset ceremony and M & M Café’s Ice Cream Social.

SERVING THOSE WHO SERVED

This past February, SWFL Veterans Alliance, Inc. 501(c)
(3), was formed to continue the Naples Spirit of '45 weekend,
which benefits the Peter Thomas History Fund. The fund pays
for local student’s transportation to participate in the state’s
Florida History Day competition. As George Washington said,
“A primary object should be the education of our youth in the
science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge
can be equally important? And what duty more pressing than
communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of
the liberties of the country?” We concur.

One of the bedrock values of SWFL Veterans Alliance is
our philosophy of community, collaboration and connectivity.
We collaborate with a host of organization who share a similar
mission. In 2013, we introduced fifty WWII veterans into the first
Collier Honor Flight and this year, we will introduce Thank You
Across America (TYAA) to Florida’s WWII Heritage, who will
travel through Florida’s eight regions spreading the Spirit of ’45
along the way.

SWFL Veterans Alliance is proud to work these groups to
connect the dots of 1776 to 1945 to today’s War on Terror because
the “preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the
republican model of government, is entrusted…”into all of our hands.

Life in Naples | August • September • October 2016 73