Eastern Florida State College Honors Veterans In Largest Event On Florida’s Space Coast

By  //  November 14, 2016

Reginald E. Johnson added to wall

vets-day-efsc-580
Lt Col Athey – EFSC Veterans Day Ceremony The 34st Annual “Massing of the Colors,” which is the largest Veterans Day event on Florida’s Space Coast, included veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

BREVARD COUNTY • COCOA, FLORIDA – Flags fluttered and the somber notes of “Taps” echoed across Eastern Florida State College’s Cocoa Campus on Friday as hundreds of veterans gathered to remember those who have served their country.

Lt Col Athey – EFSC Veterans Day Ceremony The 34st Annual “Massing of the Colors,” which is the largest Veterans Day event on Florida’s Space Coast, included veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Among those who paid tribute was Jack Parker, the college’s Vice President for External Affairs, who thanked veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice.

He also announced the addition of a name to the college’s Wall of Honor, which lists 173 Brevard County residents killed in the line of duty since World War I: Reginald E. Johnson, who died in a training accident while a cadet at West Point in 1980.

Parker said that his parents – Eugene and Ionia Johnson – have done something “truly remarkable” in the years since they lost their son.

They created the Reginald E. Johnson Foundation in his honor, and have raised $4.5 million that has been awarded in scholarships to 1,700 high school seniors to help them pay for college.

vet-day-580
Eugene Johnson touches the engraving of his son Reginald Johnson’s name which was added to the Wall of Honor at the EFSC Cocoa Campus Amphitheater.

“Their work is a mission of love and remembrance that has helped put those students on the path to successful lives, and for that we should all be grateful,” said Parker.

The ceremony was held at the George F. Schlatter Veterans Memorial Amphitheater on the Cocoa campus and included dozens of veterans and civic groups.

Four Americans Killed In Deadly Suicide Explosion At Bagram Airfield In AfghanistanRelated Story:
Four Americans Killed In Deadly Suicide Explosion At Bagram Airfield In Afghanistan

More than 1,100 veterans are currently enrolled at Eastern Florida with the college’s Military and Veterans Service Center providing a wide range of specialized services to help them in the classroom and their personal lives.

CLICK HERE for more information on the Center and its programs.

CLICK HERE FOR BREVARD COUNTY FLORIDA NEWS