A Nov. 11 Veterans Day ceremony at the Murray Nelson Government Center added a new facet to the proceedings. With the presentation of colors and the patriotic tunes also came remarks from several veterans who call the Florida Keys home. Emcee of the ceremony, John Donnelly, a U.S. Marine veteran and Purple Heart recipient, brought several veterans up to the podium to discuss their experiences from life in the military and how it shaped their lives. Photos by JIM McCARTHY/Keys Weekly
PRISCILLA JOHNSON
Serving in the Army from 2000 to 2005, Johnson was stationed in Fort Gordon, Georgia. She was deployed to Korea.
“It was an absolute honor and privilege,” she said. “It was truly a family and I’m still in touch with many of them (fellow Army members). It is a privilege that has given me so many opportunities and exposed me to many amazing people, and for that I’m truly grateful.”
Johnson was asked by Donnelly to speak about African Americans in the military. Between 5,000 and 8,000 freed and enslaved African Americans served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Some 180,000 African Americans in 163 units served in the Union Army, mostly as part of the United States Colored Troops, during the American Civil War.
“Black Americans since served and sacrificed in every conflict in our nation’s history, with more than 245 years of honorable service,” she said. “Although Black Americans served valiantly in both World Wars, they continued to face discrimination, racism and segregation. In 1948, President Harry Truman issued the executive order 9981 which called for equal treatment of the armed forces and sanctioned segregation with the Army was no longer allowed. “
As of 2020, black soldiers made up about 21% of the active Army, Johnson said.
“When called to serve, no matter the military occupation, we are soldiers first,” Johnson said. “The motto for my unit, military intelligence, was, ‘Counterintelligence second to none. Soldier first.’”
BRIAN WOJCIECHOWSKI
He was raised in a military family with grandfathers who served in World War II, one in the Navy and the other in the Army. His father was a 30-year Navy veteran, retiring 15 years ago as a chief warrant officer. A younger brother served in the Navy for six years, and another brother currently serves as a naval officer in Washington, D.C.
Wojciechowski joined the Army in December 1998 as a 17-year-old. He was interested in law enforcement, but he thought becoming a military policeman (MP) in the Army would set him on the right path.
“Needs of the Army, however, told me I would be better suited to becoming a corrections specialist. I’d still be in the MP Corps, but I’d be able to ship out soon, and wouldn’t have to wait for a spot in basic training class,” he said. “Whether that was true or not remained to be seen, but two weeks after my high school graduation, I eagerly left my life in New Jersey.”
He went to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for basic training and advanced individual training. Being the son of a military man, he kept his head down, his mouth shut and he focused on the task at hand. Four months later, he was headed for duty at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
“It was at Fort Knox where I really learned how to be a good soldier and a good leader. I was lucky to have leaders who cared about me and my future, even if it seemed like in the moment they didn’t care about me. They told me about my defects and how I could change them and be a better soldier,” he said. “And at the time, a 19-year-old me thought they were berating me just to be difficult. It took me a while to realize that they were doing this out of concern for me. Once I did, I looked at them for advice, hung out with them as friends and knew that they would do anything for me and vice versa.
“We were like brothers and sisters, an extended family that I never thought I would have. It was also during this time that I realized what the military was really about,” he continued. “You could hear it walking around the barracks on a Friday afternoon after work was done. One room would be blaring John Denver. The next would have the newest OutKast song, and the next would be playing 1980s Metallica. Then, of course, you had the Latino music playing everywhere else — if you know, you know, but everyone would be walking around laughing and having fun with everyone else.
“We all came from different backgrounds, different ideals, but while we were serving, we all bled green. I had your back, and you had mine, no matter what. Even today, over 20 years after leaving the Army, I’m still in touch with friends I made during my service. Since 2019, I’ve also joined a few veteran ice hockey programs designed to heal through hockey.”
Wojciechowski is a member of the Panthers Warriors Hockey Club sponsored by the Florida Panthers.
“We meet two, three times a month to practice, perform community service or just hang out with like-minded people. We trade barbs and jokes with one another, and it reminds me of all those years ago. It’s been a blessing for me, because it makes me feel like I’m in a unit again.”
WAYNE LEAHY
An Army medic, Leahy joined in 1974 when the Vietnam War was winding down.
“I was blessed because as a medic, you don’t want to go to war. Nobody wants to go to war, but as a medic, it’s a little bit extra traumatizing,” he said. “I was in that sweet spot between ’74 and ’81; when I got out there were no wars.”
Leahy grew up in New York City under a single mother. He got into trouble as a kid, but the Army helped him straighten out.
“I got out honorably with a Good Conduct Medal, which is still amazing to me,” he said.
He was sent to Schofield Barracks in Hawaii for roughly two years. When he got out of the military, he attended paramedic school and became an engineer paramedic with the Marin County Fire Department. Three years ago, Leahy came to the Florida Keys to be closer to his daughter.
“I had a blessed career out there, and all of that was due to the training, the discipline, the self-confidence that comes from being in the military,” he said.
JIM SCHMEISER
The commander for American Legion Post 333 in Key Largo, Schmeiser emphasized the importance of remembering fallen veterans, reflecting on those who made it home safely and helping those in need of help.
“I’m thinking about the threes today, and my threes are the three Rs, remembrance, reflection and reaction,” he said.
