3 WWll veterans honored at Memorial Day ceremony

WINTER PARK, Fla. - A Memorial Day ceremony was held in Winter Park Monday morning to honor the veterans we have lost and to recognize those who are still with us.

The ceremony was held at the Glen Have Memorial Park and included three special guests: World War ll combat Airmen Lt. Don Holmes, 98, Chief Master Sergeant Mel Jenner, 98, and Major Jack Hallett, 100.

"I lost some very good friends…one of my best friends," Hallett said. "I’m just one of many guys to survive and I was very lucky to have survived." 

This year’s ceremony was shorter than previous years because of the pandemic. FOX 35 News got a chance to speak with the veterans one-on-one.

"I saw so many of our guys go down," Jenner said. "So many airplanes crashed and was shot out of the air and, of course, every one of those airplanes carried 10 men."

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They shared memories and emotional tributes to those they lost while they served.

"They deserve our thoughts and our prayers and their families do, too," Jenner said.

"The story of all of us is basically the same," Holmes said. "We went over there. We got shot at. If we were lucky enough, we came home."

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