Port St. Joe community held unveiling ceremony to honor veterans

PORT ST. JOE, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A ceremony unveiling the North Port St. Joe Veterans Monument was held at Zion Fair Missionary Baptist Church for the Fourth of July.

Officials said funeral services for Congressional Medal Honor Recipient Clifford Chester Sims was held at the church in 1968. They said it’s only right to include a veterans monument on those grounds.

“These are our friends, these are our family members, these are our loved ones, and it’s important that we pause on this significant day to say thank you to all of our veterans,” Circuit Court Judge Elijah Smiley said.

Smiley said the granite monument weighs 5,216 pounds and has 318 North Port St. Joe Veterans names on it.

“This is the church that I grew up in as well and to be recognized for all the veterans that’s in this area, to be recognized is a wonderful privilege,” Retired Veteran Lashune Leslie said.

Officials said names of local veterans can still be added on the monument.

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