CORTEZ – There was laughter and tears Saturday morning as elected officials, families of fallen heroes and veterans gathered to honor those who gave their lives to serve not only their country, but their community.
Kaye Bell, president of the Cortez Village Historical Society, welcomed hometown guests that included Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown and former Bradenton Mayor Bill Evers, who served as master of ceremonies. Evers encouraged Brown to serve for 20 years in keeping with the tradition of long-serving Bradenton mayors, including himself.
“For this country, we know what our military people sacrificed. Some of them sacrificed their lives to make all of us free. Because they were brave, they went out and did that, so to come out here today and honor those individuals from Cortez, our county and nation is an honor,” said Mayor Brown, adding how much it meant to him to be among this group of public servants and veterans.
A highlight of the morning’s ceremony was a tribute to Dan Taylor, a Cortez native who served in the U.S. Navy, and the first subject of what will be a quarterly exhibit in the Cortez Cultural Center honoring Cortez veterans.
“He lived through Pearl Harbor as a young man, and he couldn’t wait to go into the military, but he wasn’t old enough,” said his son, Darrell Taylor, describing his father’s service in the military and life in Cortez. “In 1943, his mother had to sign for him to go into the service. He went and served in the Navy, then later served in the Air Force. He came back and got his high school diploma, so he had actually seen the world before he even finished high school.”
Following a moment of silence to honor the fallen, “Taps” was performed by Del Couch, who served as a U.S. Air Force bugler from 1968-72, bringing tears to the eyes of many in attendance.
The Dan Taylor exhibit, as well as other artifacts in the Cortez Cultural Center, are on display at 11655 Cortez Road W. For more information, visit www.cortezvillagehistoricalsociety.org.
