Honoring service and sacrifice of ‘The Greatest Generation’. (SAR)

Nice St. Augustine Record article on local Veterans' Day observances in St. Augustine, quoting St. Johns County Circuit Court Judge Howard O. McGillin, Jr.

Judge McGillin is one of my judicial heroes. On December 7, 2016, he denied St. Augustine Beach Mayor RICHARD BURTT O'BRIEN's demand for a restraining order against citizen Thomas F. Reynolds. Judge McGillin found that the First Amendment was violated when O'BRIEN demanded a restraining order for First Amendment protected activity. When I later congratulated him for his order, Judge McGillin smiled and quoted the oath provided by Article VI of our U.S. Constitution, "preserve, protect and defend" our Constitution). When O'BRIEN testified he was afraid of Mr. Reynolds because he wrote an e-mail, comparing O'BRIEN's wife to Leona Helmsley, and stating that they should "burn in hell" for destroying a dune, Judge McGillin asked O'BRIEN, "Did you think that Mr. Reynolds was the deity?"

Like my dad, Judge Howard O. McGillin was in the 82nd Airborne.

My dad was awarded three Bronze Stars as a .50 calibre machine-gunner with the 82nd ABN. DIVN. F. Co., 505th P.I.R. in combat jumps in North Africa, Sicily and Normandy. Dad was 31.75 years old the day he jumped into Sainte-Mère-Église. They called him the old man." Few in the 82nd were older than him that day, but they included General James Gavin and my dad's friend, John Steele, who hung from a church and played dead (played by Red Buttons in The Longest Day movie).  John Steele survived D-Day but died of tobacco, a deadly product included in every K-ration package by the U.S. Army.  John Steele required an emergency tracheotomy during one of the 82nd reunions; dad lent the doctor his penknife, which remained in our family's hutch in a place of honor, still bearing John Steele's bloodstains).

Later in the day, Congressman Michael Waltz (R-FL6), the first Green Beret elected to Congress, spoke at St. Augustine Beach and told of his jumping into Sainte-Mère-Église on the 75th anniversary of D-Day, on June 6, 2019.

From The St. Augustine Record:



Honoring service and sacrifice of ‘The Greatest Generation’

By Colleen Jones
Posted Nov 11, 2019 at 3:27 PM
At Veterans Day celebrations across the country, the service and sacrifice of the eldest of this nation’s elite group were highlighted and applauded on the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

It was no different in St. Augustine where three surviving members of what’s been called “The Greatest Generation” received standing ovations before an audience of their peers at Anastasia Baptist Church Monday.

“We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” said Army Sgt. Maj. (Ret.) Ray Quinn, who introduced the special guests in attendance at the ceremony.

In his invocation, the Rev. Don Kabrich, a retired chief warrant officer three with the Army, also gave special praise to the soldiers who served in World War II.

“We especially recognize this generation of veterans who are all gone but for a few,” Kabrich said.

And the theme was carried out in the keynote address delivered by 7th Circuit Court Judge Howard McGillin Jr., a retired colonel of the 82d Airborne Division Artillery.

McGillin, who comes from a large military family, spoke about how he’d grown up hearing stories of his father’s time with the Army Quartermaster Corps. His father had helped devise plans for the invasion of Normandy, France, only to have them pushed to the wayside by the Allies’ surprise attack on June 6, 1944, months earlier than expected.

McGillin said he was inspired by his father’s commitment to serving his country.

“You see, he was my hero; he was who I aspired to be,” McGillin said.


McGillin went on to talk about how service continued to play a part in his post-military career as an attorney, and then judge, as well as his life off the bench. McGillin, for example, is the recipient of many high honors, including the Meritorious Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal. McGillin was also instrumental in establishing the St. Johns County Veterans Treatment Center.

The Veterans Day celebration was organized by the Veterans Council of St. Johns County in conjunction with the Ancient City Chapter of Military Officers Association of America.

The ceremony included traditional color guard displays by the Junior ROTC cadets from regional high schools and performances by the SJC Chamber Singers and the Liberty Express Quintet.

This year’s Military Achievement Award was presented to Ron and Nancy Birchall.

A special addition to the ceremony were two traveling memorial walls, one containing the names of fallen soldiers from the Vietnam War and the other to those who died in service in the War on Terrorism. Both were mounted in the church’s atrium for the occasion.

The veterans council had traditionally sponsored a Veterans Day parade through the city, but funding and other logistical issues prevented the parade from going forward in 2018 and the festivities were moved to Anastasia Baptist Church.

Bill Dudley, chairman of the Veterans Council of St. Johns County, said the reception from the community has been very positive, and that seemed to be evident Monday when the church was nearly filled to its capacity of 1,250.