YouTube video download / Going Home: Fallen Soldier Bagpipe Tribute.
Photos for Headline Surfer / Top: Patricia Northey pays her respects on this Memorial Day weekend at the Bushnell National Cemetery gravesite of her father-in-law, John L. Northey, who served the US in World War II. The elder Northey died in 2011, at age 92. Northey also is shown below with her husband, Ed Northey, on the beach in Ormond last month, and in this vintage snapshot at their July 26, 1969, wedding in 1969. Ed Northey was home on leave from Vietnam back then. He re-upped but decided to ask Pat to marry him before he left for another tour of active combat.
By HENRY FREDERICKDELTONA, Fla. -- Patricia Northey served more than 20 years on the Volusia County Council, but she'd be the first to tell anyone that pales in comparison to those Americans who have served in the military as her father-in-law, John L. Northey, did in World War II. he died in 2011.
In wishing her former constituents a happy Memorial Day, Northey, 68, of Deltona, reflected on what the holiday means to her and her loved ones.
"I am married to a Vietnam Vet and the older I get, the more I appreciate the sacrifices these men and women made," Northey said. While many came home, 50,000-plus gave everything. I have a nephew who was a medic in Iraq during the conflict. He made it home, too. He now is an Attorney with the VA where he works with Veterans of all ages and wars. I am so proud of him.
Northey waxed poetic on the “Greatest Generation” that came before her husband and their wars.
"My father fought in WW ll and came home," Northey said. "My husband’s father and two uncles served in both the Pacific and the European theaters, all three in the war at the same time."
They came home as well.
"When Ed’s Dad passed several years ago, we found a stash of letters that he had written to his Mom while in service and overseas," Northey said. "And some she had written to him, especially touching while he was recovering from injuries sustained in the war. Truly, they are treasures... They are humbling in the simple words of a soldier and his mom sharing their lives through years of war."
Northey said she will spend Memorial remembering "those who did not make it home from battles in foreign lands, far too many to name and be thankful for those who made it safely back.
Letter from John L. Northey to his mom:You should see Virginia; big mountains and high cliffs all around us. It is the most beautiful country I’ve ever seen. I have plenty of places to go and have a good time. We are off after 5 o’clock. We go to town and on weekends we get passes. I don’t have to come back until Sunday night.
Photo for Headline Surfer / Pat Northey Northey, shown on the first row at far left, in 2009, served for 20 years, first from 1993 to 2004 and again from 2007 to 2014. In the middle of the front row is Frank Bruno, of Ponce Inlet, who was on the council for 20 years, serving the latter eight as the council's first elected chair for two terms until 2014.
The chambers were renamed Frank T. Bruno Jr. Council Chambers., recognizing proven leadership. Bruno was the first elected chair. Standing next to Bruno is Joie Alexander of Samsula, a former teacher snd principal, who served on the dais for 10 years until 2014. In the back is Carl Persis of Ormond Beach, Jack Hayman of Edgewater, Andy Kelly of DeLand, and Joshua Wagner of Daytona Beach. Wagner served eight years until term limits came into play in 2016.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. • Award-Winning Journalism: Florida Press Club recognizes Headline Surfer for nine stories in 2020 statewide competition. • Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.